Rise of the Winter's Night
by Brightfire15
Summary: Female Jack Frost. AU ROTG. Nightstar Frost enjoys having fun and spending time with his mother Jacquelyn Frost and godfather Sandy. But all changes when the Moon chooses them to be the new Guardians. Despite an initial refusal, they find themselves joining in the fight against Pitch Black. Jacquelyn hesitates, as though she knows something the others don't. What's she hiding? R&R!
1. Who Am I?

Rise of the Winter's Night

Disclaimer: I own none of this

**Who Am I?**

I've been around for a long time. But since I look young for my age, you might ask just how long could I have been around. Well, I'll tell you—far longer than you might think. It's easy to live for centuries when you're an immortal spirit.

The name's Frost—_Nightstar _Frost, to be precise. I'm the son of Jacquelyn Frost, the Bringer of Winter.

Yes, the famous winter spirit is in fact, a girl and has a kid. Now, generally, when people think of my mother, they envision either a grumpy old man covered in icicles or that silly clown from that movie who tried to take over Santa Claus's job. My only guess as to why is because my mom's nicknames are "Jackie" and once in a while she gets called "Jack" and therefore, somehow she's become a male in mortal eyes. But honestly, some of the humans' beliefs about my mother couldn't be farther from the truth.

Even my mother will admit there's a little truth. She _is_ the Queen of Winter, she _loves _mischief and she's a big kid at heart. But she's _not _old, she's _not _a male and she certainly has no intention of ever taking over the Jolly One's job at this or any time. She's got no reason to. The Jolly One's job is too much work, she's got her hands full as it is and it's just not her style.

You wouldn't think we were mother and son just by looking at us because my mother's forever seventeen and I haven't aged since I turned sixteen a _long _time ago. You might almost think we were siblings or something. One of the things about eternal youth and immortality, I'm afraid.

Anyway, my mother's amazing and stunningly beautiful. She's graceful and carefree, quite tall with pale skin, long snow white hair delicately tinged with frosty blue that she either lets down or puts in a ponytail depending on her mood, and her eyes are a deep frosted blue color. She wears a flowing midnight-blue shirt adorned with glittering snowflakes, a silver snowflake necklace adorned with diamonds and aquamarines, white pants, special frosted blue shoes that disappear and reappear at her choosing because sometimes she just _loves _feeling snow and ice beneath her feet, and she also wears a snazzy matching hooded cloak.

Naturally, being the Bringer of Winter, she has control over the winter elements—snow, ice, wind, hail—you name it. She makes _fantastic _snowballs and she flies on the wind's back. The source of her power is this wooden staff she always carries with her. It's taller than she is, dark grey with frost, crooked and it glows when she uses it. It's ugly, but she never complains about it. Most likely because without the staff, she's powerless and can't make the winter days that mortal kids and myself love so much. If there's anything that mortal kids, myself and my mother agree on, it's the joy of winter days. Ice-skating, sledding, making snowmen (sometimes Mom makes them come alive!) snowball fights are Mom's idea of a party. Mortal kids love it and so do I. So, Mom lets us indulge in our pleasures.

Anyway, about myself, my name is Nightstar for a reason, and it's not just because my mother thought it suited me when I was born. I've inherited some of my mother's powers, naturally, but I also have my own. I'm the Watcher of the Stars. Basically, it means that I help stars find their place when new ones are formed, I create the most beautiful of meteor showers and comets, I make sure the Milky Way and the North Star shine brightly on clear nights so mortals don't lose their way in the dark and I create the constellations people look for in the night sky. I can also make myself invisible, teleport and I can control shadows if I want to.

I'm six feet tall with black hair, pale skin, my mother's eyes and a handsome face (or so I've been told.) My attire consists of a midnight-blue shirt, jeans, and boots. I also wearing a matching hoodie adorned with tiny glittering stars. Like my mother, I have an object for the source of my power, but in this case, it's a yin-yang medallion. Half is black as night, and the other half is as white as snow. My mother says it was a gift from the Man in the Moon when I was born and I needed an object as the source of my powers. She thinks it's meant to represent the two halves of my bloodline. But she can only guess, and since I don't know much about my father, I can only guess as well.

Anyway, I like to think I'm a decent guy. Yeah, being my mother's son, I get into mischief and enjoy a prank now and then, and sometimes Mom and I have prank wars, but I also love kids and my family. There's little I wouldn't do for them. I love helping my mother with snow days, and sometimes I protect kids by messing with the bratty ones' shadows. Now, I'd be lying if I said Mom and I got along perfectly _all _the time. We're close, but sometimes we argue. I'm an immortal teenager and she's my sometimes-overprotective mother. Need I say more? But no matter what, we love each other more than anything and there's nothing we wouldn't for each other even if it means Mom has to ground me by freezing me in an iceberg to keep me safe and I'd have to keep her shadow in place so she doesn't go anywhere. We'd do anything to keep each other safe and not lonely, because we're family and that's what family does.

By now, you're probably asking where my mom and I came from. Well, I only know what she's told me and that's not much because while Mom knows _my _origin, she doesn't know much about herself. Some three hundred years ago, she woke up in a frozen pond just a few miles outside of a small town called Burgess. The Man in the Moon, or MiM as he's more commonly known, lifted her out of the frozen water and told Mom her name was Jacquelyn Frost and it was her job to bring winter to the world. Unfortunately, aside from that and giving me my medallion, he's been silent. You can imagine how frustrating that can be.

Now, the thing about us immortal beings; is that mortals can't see or hear us unless they truly believe in us with all their hearts. Mom learned that the hard way after she was "created." People walked through her as if she didn't exist, which was _not _at all enjoyable and still isn't, even after all these centuries. It happens to me too, but at least I had some prior warning before it happened.

So, it figures that while kids have seen the Big Four, namely Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman and the Easter Bunny, also known as North, Tooth, Sandy and Bunnymund, no one's ever seen me or my mother, and those goofballs, the Big Four, who also call themselves the Guardians of Children, have pretty much been ignoring the two of us for more years than I care to count. Plus, the Easter Kangaroo (as Mom and I prefer to call him) doesn't really get along with Mom and I. I think he's stuck-up and Mom's had some spat with him that's been going on since 1968. Long story, don't ask right now.

Well, actually, not _all _of the Guardians are goofballs or ignoring Mom and I. Uncle Sandy's been a close friend of my mother's since a few months before I was born and that was a hundred and fifty years ago. Their friendship's so strong that the three of us live together and Mom named him as my godfather. But honestly, while I usually call him "Uncle Sandy" and he's not technically related to me, Uncle Sandy's been like a dad to me all my life. He's loyal, kind, always willing to listen, he can be as fun and protective as my mother and he makes the sweetest dreams with his Dreamsand and the most amazing things out of it. And most importantly, he's helped me with my powers and he's there when I need him. Let's face it, Uncle Sandy's impossible to dislike.

Anyway, I bet you're wondering who my father is. Well, the truth is, I don't know. He's never been in my life and neither Uncle Sandy nor my mother speaks of him. I can only assume he left us for reasons I don't know yet. I've never asked much about him, but I'm still curious and I have questions I'm longing for answers to. Who is my father? Why did he leave us? Does he know he has me for a son? What was he like? Does he still love my mother and is it possible he loves me? But I don't have answers because I've never asked those questions because I'm waiting for the right time to ask.

Part of me is angry with him for never being there for me, yet part of me just wants to know him. All I _do _know is that he's an immortal spirit, which means he might still be out there somewhere. I don't know what'll happen if we ever meet face-to-face, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I don't even know if I'll ever be believed it, but for the moment, I'm content with my life with Sandy and my mother. All we need are each other and all the fun days in the universe. So, life's not just good for us. It's _perfect_ the way it is. Why change it?


	2. Recruiting the Spirits of Winter & Night

**Recruiting the Spirits of Winter and Night**

**North Pole**

Santa Claus, or North as he was known as to the other immortal spirits, was busy in his office at the North Pole, working on a new line of toys. He was a fat, jolly old man with blue eyes and a white beard and red suit. But his suit was lined with fur, his hat was Russian styled, and he had naughty and nice tattooed on either one of his arms. He was also a master swordsman, he loved children and had an enormous weakness for cookies and other sugary treats.

As he whistled a Christmas tune, he took a large block of ice, placed it on his workbench and began to cut and carve it. "Still waiting for cookies!" he said. Though he knew the elves had most likely either eaten or licked his cookies as they were even bigger suckers for junk food than he was and they were most pesky than helpful. Hence why it was North's yetis who were his helpers, rather than the pointy-eared gremlins.

Before long, he was finished with his ice-sculpting and now had a train made of ice travel along the tracks he'd made. He laughed with a twinkle in his eye at his creation as it then took off into the air with wings of a plane, only to be smashed into the wall when one of the yeti's burst into the room and hit it with the door on accident.

North cried out with dismay, as the yeti looked horrified at what he'd done and he wondered if he was about to get fired.

North then sighed in exasperation as he rubbed the space in between his eyes. "How many times have I told you to knock first?!" he demanded, exasperated. This wasn't the first time one of his prototypes had been wrecked in such a way, and nor would it be the last. But it still annoyed him to no end and who could blame him?

The yeti looked apologetic and quickly said sorry, but then told North why he'd come to his office.

"The Globe?" said North, displeased. He quickly grabbed one of his swords and began to walk to the large globe in the main room. Every Guardian had a special globe in their home. Each of the lights on the globe represented a child who still believed in North or one of the other immortals. "Shoo with your pointy heads," he said, to the elves. "Always underboot…"

When he reached the Globe, he did not like what he saw. Lights were flickering out, and then suddenly black sand engulfed the Globe. Wind blew in the room and darkness entered, causing the elves to hide in terror as North's eyes widened in horror. Then, just as quickly, the black sand vanished, but not before a suspicious-looking large black shadow was spotted.

"Can it be?" murmured North. _Can our old foe truly be back? Has Pitch Black returned? _Deciding he needed to take action, he said, "Dingle, make preparations! We're going to have company."

And with that, he summoned his fellow Guardians, using the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. It was the Guardians' job to protect the children, to bring about light and hope and wonder. And now it seemed the children were in danger and the time had come for them to band together again to defeat their ancient foe. A foe they'd kept at bay for many centuries and had now reappeared again. He was not to be taken lightly.

Before long, his fellow Guardians had arrived. The Sandman, also known as Sandy, arrived in a sparkling airplane made out of dreamsand. Toothiana the Tooth Fairy, also known as Tooth, flew in on her beautiful wings along with half a dozen or so of her helpers, the Mini-Fairies. And last but not least, E. Aster Bunnymund a.k.a. the Easter Bunny, ran in. His tunnels hadn't reached North's home and he was freezing as he'd had to take quite a few hops through the snow. Despite being a very fast rabbit, he couldn't feel his cold feet.

"Can I get you anything my friends? Would you care for cookies or eggnog?" offered North, when they arrived.

"This better be good, North!" said Bunnymund, grouchily. He was _not _in a good mood after the journey he'd just had in the freezing snow and he was under stress as his holiday was coming up quickly.

Sandy made a question mark out of Dreamsand and looked confused.

"I know, Sandy, I know," said North. "But I would not have called you unless it was of dire importance. The Boogeyman was _here_, at the Pole!"

"Pitch? Pitch Black? _Here_?" said Tooth, looking worried. She seemed frightened and no one could blame her, knowing just how dangerous and terrifying the Nightmare King was.

"Yes, there was black sand encircling the Globe," said North, dramatically.

"Wait, what do you mean, _black sand_?" demanded Bunnymund, concerned.

"And then I saw a large black shadow!" said North, dramatically, ignoring the rabbit's interruption.

"Hold on, hold on," said Bunnymund, confused. "I thought you said you saw _Pitch!_" Though he highly doubted the Nightmare King's return was possible, since they'd made sure the creep had gone out with the Dark Ages.

North looked a tad nervous as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…not exactly."

Bunnymund looked exasperated. "'_Not exactly_'?" he repeated. He turned to Sandy. "Can you believe this guy?"

Sandy made another question mark and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, you said it, Sandy," said Bunnymund, as he resumed painting an Easter egg a pretty shade of light blue.

"Look," said North, seriously, "he's up to something very bad. I feel it, in my belly."

This didn't help Bunnymund's mood.

"Are you telling me that you summoned me here _three days_ before _Easter_ because of your _belly_? Mate, if I did this to you three days before Christmas—!"

"Bunny, Easter is not Christmas," interrupted North, starting an age-old argument once again.

Bunnymund let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Here we go. North, I don't have time for this. I still have _two million _eggs to prepare!"

"No matter how much you paint, there's still egg. Besides, you still have time for your holiday," said North, dismissively. "Why are rabbits so impatient?"

"Why are _you _always such a blowhard?" snapped Bunnymund. He was working with perishables and didn't have all year to prepare like the Jolly One did for his holiday. "I'm dealing with perishables, mates! You've got all year to prepare!"

North and Bunnymund then proceeded to argue about whose holiday was better and about Pitch's supposed return, not noticing Sandy's attempts to get them to notice MiM's appearance in the window. In fact, they only ceased arguing to say to Tooth, who was busy with her work and giving her Mini-Fairies orders and accidentally interrupted them, "Tooth, can't you see we're trying to argue?"

"Sorry. Not all of us get to work one night a year, right Sandy?" said Tooth.

Sandy nodded and made an arrow pointing upward, hoping it would get the fairy's attention, but no such luck as Tooth remembered other cities where kids had lost teeth and sent her helpers off. Quite frustrated, Sandy looked for something to get the Guardians' attention, and found an elf quickly scarfing down a mug of eggnog. Sandy grabbed the elf and shook it, until the ringing of the bell on its cap got his friends' notice. Once it did, he made an image of the moon and then pointed upwards.

North looked and his face lit up. "Ah, Man in Moon! Sandy, why didn't you say something?"

Dreamsand steam billowed out of Sandy's ears in irritation. It was times like this that he _hated _being unable to speak normally like the others.

"It's been a long time, old friend!" said North, to MiM. "What news you bring?"

A beam of moonlight entered the room and within moments, a shadow resembling their old foe appeared, making them all look unsettled, even Bunnymund.

"Manny, what must we do?" asked North.

The beam of moonlight narrowed and then a large crystal on a pedestal emerged from a hidden panel in the floor.

"Uh, guys, you know what this means?" said Tooth, excitedly.

"He's choosing a new Guardian," said North, amazed and intrigued.

"He's _what_?!" exclaimed Bunnymund. "Why?"

"It must be a big deal to Manny. He thinks we need help to defeat Pitch," said North.

"Since when do _we _need help?" demanded Bunnymund. They'd done a decent job of guarding children for centuries in his opinion and he was perfectly happy with the way things were. He didn't need change.

So, as one might expect, the giant rabbit was the _only _one of them not at all excited about a new Guardian being chosen. The other three were, and they were also trying to guess who their new ally against Pitch would be.

"Ooh, I wonder who it's going to be. Maybe it'll be Cupid!" said Tooth, excitedly.

A four-leaf clover appeared over Sandy's head. He thought it was going to be the St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun, a.k.a. Lucky.

"Please, not the Groundhog. Please not the Groundhog," prayed Bunnymund, over and over under his breath. Bunnymund wasn't at all fond of the Groundhog because if the Groundhog didn't see his shadow, it meant spring six weeks early, but if he saw his shadow, it meant another six weeks of winter, and Bunnymund _hated _winter, which was only to be expected since his holiday was in the springtime.

The crystal glowed and then, much to their shock, there was not one but _two _images of immortal spirits chosen to be Guardians standing before them and not only that, but they were most unlikely pair of all.

"Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost," said North, smiling. He didn't seem to be the least bit surprised or disappointed in MiM's choice.

Tooth's helpers were so happy; one of them actually fainted like teenagers did when meeting their idol. Tooth and Sandy looked pleased and even a little excited at MiM's choice, but Bunnymund looked horrified. By now, Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost had gained _quite _the reputations and had encountered the Guardians a few times.

"Uh, I take it back, the Groundhog's fine," he said. "_Anyone _is better than those two."

"What's wrong, Bunny? As long they help protect the children, they're fine, aren't they?" said Tooth, slightly confused by Bunnymund's reaction.

"Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost?" spluttered Bunnymund. He had prior history with the two elemental spirits, which included a tiff with Jacquelyn Frost which had gone on for forty-five years. "Those two don't care about children! All that little brat Nightstar does is pull pranks with shadows! And don't get me started on his ice queen of a mother, Jacquelyn! She freezes things and causes blizzards on _my _holiday! Those two mess with my egg hunts, for carrots' sake! They're a pair of irresponsible, selfish—"

"Guardians," interrupted North, smiling as he rubbed his white beard in thought. "Yes, they'll make _fine _Guardians."

Sandy made images of Jacquelyn and Sunny playing together and then defeating Pitch, united in arms. He fully believed in Jacquelyn and Nightstar's abilities and potential for Guardianship.

"Sandy's right. Look, obviously Jacquelyn cares for children. How could she not, when she's got a kid of her own? She's always taking care of her son and he's been loyal to her for years. They're both powerful and they could be a big help with Pitch," said Tooth. "Plus, some new friends around here would be wonderful. I bet Nightstar and Jacquelyn are really great once you get to know them."

Bunnymund sighed in exasperation. "Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost are many things, but they are _not _Guardians! Besides, how would you get them here? Even if we talk to them, those two won't come to the Pole easily. They _loathe _responsibility and we've been more or less ignoring them for years!"

"_You _have, _I _haven't," said North. Despite North's busy life, he'd always found time to deliver gifts to Jacquelyn and Nightstar at Christmas. They were mischievous, yes, but their devotion to one another and love of kids had just barely kept them off the Naughty List for quite some time. "And as for getting them here, I have an idea…"

"Save your ideas for later, North. In case you're forgetting, none of us even know where to find them," said Bunnymund. "Those two go underground when they're done with their mischief and are just about impossible to find, except on Christmas. Heck, it took Tooth and her fairies a while to find Jacquelyn's kid when he lost his baby teeth, remember?"

North's face fell as he realized Bunnymund had a point. However, at that point North noticed the uneasy look on Sandy's face and how he'd been trying and failing to leave the room without being noticed by the others.

"Sandy, do you know where they are?" asked North. "Are you close with them?"

Sandy tried to deny it, but his friends were seeing right through him. Inwardly he winced as he realized he wasn't getting out of this. Jacquelyn was going to kill him.

XXX

Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Jacquelyn Frost was having the time of her life finishing up some of the last of the winter touches for the season. The next day, she'd fly off to Burgess to meet up with her son, who'd been off with April Fools, helping the trickster spirit come up with fresh prank ideas for his holiday.

Being a protective mother, Jacquelyn had been reluctant to let him go off on his own, but Nightstar had been looking forward to it and she hadn't had the heart to refuse him. So, she'd consented on the condition that he only be gone a week and would meet up with her at Burgess. Their home in the clouds moved frequently, but nine times out of ten, it was nestled above Burgess, hidden in plain sight.

Once she was back with Nightstar, they planned to let spring take its course and use the free time to have a vacation with Sandy and relax for a few weeks. As much as Jacquelyn loved having fun with winter and snow days, she was ready for a little break and quality time with Sandy and her son.

Jacquelyn let out a whoop of delight as she flew on her staff like a snowboard, enjoying the feel of chill wind in her face. As she flew through the town, she finished up her work for the night. She frowned when she saw a particularly obnoxious kid getting a drink from a water fountain.

_Ah, the bully kid. Someone's got a long overdue lesson in humility coming right up_. With a devious smirk on her face, she froze the water fountain's water to his tongue just as he was drinking it, causing other kids to laugh at him.

Jacquelyn sent ice and frost all around the town, causing a grouchy man to take a slight spill on some ice and sending frost up a building. Papers flew out of an open window, a fishbowl's glass became icy, windows turned into drawing boards and icicles were everywhere.

Jacquelyn laughed and soared through the sky before finally stopping to catch her breath on the very top of an old palace.

"Hey, Wind, is Nightstar at Burgess yet?" yelled Jacquelyn. She and her son were good friends with the Wind Spirit.

Wind gave her an affirmative and told her that her son was awaiting her in the clouds above their hometown of Burgess.

"Great. Well, let's go home and find him! I'm ready for a vacation, how 'bout you?"

Wind agreed and then Jacquelyn soared on his back, letting out cries of delight as she leapt over clouds and did amazing dynamics in the sky until she heard her son calling out to her.

"Hey, Mom, over here!"

Jacquelyn flew over to a cloud, where she saw Nightstar waving at her, looking eager for some fun.

"Hey, kiddo. Enjoy your time with April Fool?" asked Jacquelyn.

"Yep. Mom, April's _awesome. _You should've seen all the stuff we planned. Just wait until April first comes around. You'll be laughing so hard, you won't be able to fly," said Nightstar, happily.

Jacquelyn smiled. "Can't wait until then."

"Me neither. So, anyway, what's the plan? Are we having one last snow day in Burgess before finding Uncle Sandy and plan our vacation? Or are we finally not giving the Easter Bunny reason to come after us again?" asked Nightstar. He didn't mind either one, to be quite honest.

While not a full season spirit like his mother, Nightstar loved winter as it meant fun times with snowball fights and sledding.

"Yes and no," said Jacquelyn, after a moment's thought. She was in a good mood and ready for time off. "We'll have just one _small _snow day today, and then it's vacation time. Easter's still two or three days away. The snow will be gone by then."

"So, snowball fights and maybe something epic at Jamie Bennett's house?" guessed Nightstar. Jamie Bennett was the duo's favorite mortal kid. The little boy and his toddler sister, Sophie, were very sweet and just plain irresistible. Jamie believed in everything, which gave them both hope that one day, Jamie would be the kid who'd be their first believer.

Jacquelyn grinned. "You just read my mind. Come on, let's go!"

Nightstar grabbed Jacquelyn's hand and they let out cries of delight as the wind picked up speed and they did an amazing leap. Due to the time zone differences, what was once became midday quicker than the blink of an eye.

It was time for Burgess's final snow day before springtime. There were just three inches or so of snow left and it wasn't very cold.

Jacquelyn and Nightstar emitted whoops of delight as they flew around Burgess, causing snow and brisk wind to fly everywhere. Ice formed and people zipped up their coats and jackets as the last snow day before spring came.

As they zipped around the pond outside of Jamie's house, the book that Jamie had been engrossed in, _They're Out There—Mysteries, Mythical Creatures and the Unexplained Phenomenon _flew out of the boy's hands.

"That looks interesting," said Nightstar, as he peered at the book's cover. "Is it any good?"

Jamie made no reply to Nightstar as he ran up to his group of friends, who were waiting to hang out with him.

"Yeah! Snow day!" cheered Caleb.

"You're Welcome," said Jacquelyn, smiling. She knew they couldn't hear her, but it still felt good to hear kids praise her and her son's work.

"Hey, guys, wait up!" said Jamie, as he caught up with his friends. "Are you coming to egg hunt on Sunday?"

"Duh! It's free candy!" said Claude. "Let's just hope we can find it in all this snow."

"Trust me, you'll find the eggs and candy. Bunnymund will make sure of that," said Nightstar. "And we'll help if need be." The most they could do was get rid of the snow before Easter Sunday. Anything more and the rabbit would have a conniption fit.

Jamie glanced through his book again and his face lit up with excitement. "Hey, guys, look at this!" he said, as he showed his friends his book. "It says here, they found Bigfoot hair samples and DNA in Michigan. That's super close!"

"Oh, here we go," said Caleb.

"You saw the video too, guys. He's really out there. He's _real_," insisted Jamie. He put down his book on his front porch and picked up his sled as his three-year-old sister, Sophie, came out of the house to play. She was adorable with blond hair, eyes blue as the sky and sweet smile. She was dressed in green and blue clothes and wearing fairy wings.

"That's what you said about aliens and the Easter Bunny," said Claude.

"The Easter Bunny's just as real as Bigfoot," said Jamie.

"Oh, he's really real all right," said Jacquelyn, as she balanced on Jamie's picket fence. "He's really annoying, really grumpy, and _really _full of himself."

Claude and Caleb just laughed.

"You guys will believe anything. The Easter Bunny's about as real as the Tooth Fairy!"

Sophie just giggled as she got into the fun. "Easter Bunny! Hop, hop, hop!" She tried to hop like a bunny, only to fall off the porch step and cry.

Jamie, being the good older brother that he was, dropped his sled and helped his little sister stand up. "You okay, Sophie?"

Sophie immediately stopped crying and nodded.

"Good," said Jamie. He then turned to his mother, who was just leaving the house. "Mom, I'm heading out with my friends."

"Okay. Just be back before dark," said Mrs. Bennett. She then let out an exasperated sigh. "Jamie Bennett, how many times have I told you to wear a hat when you play in the snow? You don't want Jack Frost nipping at your nose."

"Sorry, Mom," said Jamie. He picked up his hat, which he'd left on the porch railing and put it on. "And Mom, who's Jack Frost?"

"No one, honey. It's just an expression," said Mrs. Bennett.

"Hey!" said Jacquelyn, indignantly. "First off, the name's _Jacquelyn_. And second, I am _not _'just an expression.'"

"At least people have _some _idea of who you are. I don't even _have _an expression," joked Nightstar.

"Well, we'll have to fix that somehow, won't we?" said Jacquelyn. "In the meantime, are you up for a little fun?"

"Aren't I always?" said Nightstar, as his eyes gleamed with mischief.

Jacquelyn then made a snowball, added a little of her magic to it and handed it to Nightstar, who then tossed it at Jamie. It hit the back of his head and Jamie fell under Jacquelyn's spell instantly. He began laughing and looking ready for some fun. "Okay, who threw that?"

"Well, it wasn't Bigfoot, kiddo," said Jacquelyn.

Jamie then began throwing snowballs at his friends and within moments, an enormous fun snowball fight began. Snowballs were flying and hitting and kids were laughing and having fun.

"Free-for-all!" cheered Nightstar. "Who needs ammo? Coming right up!" He helped his mother make a few dozen snowballs on the ground for the kids to use while tossing his own snowballs at the kids.

The snowball fight got more intense with Jamie using his sled as a shield and the snowballs fell like rain, but then Jamie tripped and knocked over a snowman just as Mary, one of the neighborhood girls, accidentally hit Cupcake in the back of the head.  
"Crud. I hit Cupcake!" she cried, looking terrified.

"She hit Cupcake!" said Monty.

"You hit _Cupcake?_" said

Cupcake was a girl who secretly enjoyed sweet girly things like unicorns and wore a tutu, but she also had the worst temper and no one in the right mind crossed her wrong. She looked furious and was about to pummel someone with her snowman's head—more specifically, Jamie, since he happened to be lying on the ground cowering under his sled—but then Jacquelyn tossed one of her own snowballs into Cupcake's face, ridding the girl of her anger.

Within moments, Cupcake was smiling and laughing with the rest of the kids as she playfully chased them with her snowman's head.

"Whoa, watch it, it's slippery," said Jacquelyn.

Suddenly, Jamie slid on a slide of ice and ended up landing on his sleigh, which took off at great speed as Jacquelyn and Nightstar led him through the town.

"AHHHH!" yelled Jamie.

"Jamie, what're you doing? That's the _street!_" yelped Mary.

But Jamie didn't hear her as his sled went off at great speed, flying over a small hill of snow and landing in the street. His icy slide continued through the town, weaving through cars and pedestrians and other such obstacles.

"Don't worry, Jamie, we got you!" said Nightstar, as he and Jacquelyn steered the sled.

Nightstar's words did little good as Jamie couldn't see nor hear him and the boy looked increasingly frightened as he continued sliding down the icy slide.

"Keep up with us, kid! Take a left!" said Jacquelyn, as she steered the ice left.

Jamie then slid through the street and then went up a large mound of snow and ice as Jacquelyn and Nightstar kept him from hitting a semi-truck that was closing in fast. Jamie then took off and flew through the sky like a rocket before landing in a huge pile of snow.

"That was _awesome!_" said Nightstar, cheering as he high-fived his mother.

"Whoa! Jamie, are you okay?" asked Caleb.

By now, all of Jamie's friends had followed him to his current destination and they all looked worried for him.

Jamie, however, was perfectly fine. In fact, he looked excited and happy. "Whoa. Did you guys see that! That was amazing! I was flying and then—oof!"

Jamie was cut off when a sofa from a truck, which had unfortunately come out during the excitement, slid and knocked Jamie down.

Jacquelyn winced and looked sheepish while Nightstar laughed.

"Whoops," she muttered.

But Jamie didn't seem the least bit bothered. Rather, he just stood up and smiled as he held up one of his front teeth, which had just been knocked out. "Cool, a tooth!"

"Dude, that means cash! Tooth Fairy cash!" said Monty.

Jacquelyn's face fell. "Oh, no," she murmured. Once again, she and Nightstar were being forgotten and pushed aside for the Guardians. She leapt off the statue and tried to talk to them. "Guys, wait a minute. Weren't we having fun just now? The Tooth Fairy didn't do that. That was Nightstar and I!"

But not one of the kids heard Jacquelyn.

"Don't you just love the Tooth Fairy?" gushed Mary.

"How much money do you think she'll give you?" asked Claude.

"Come on. Let's get inside. My ears are freezing and I want hot cocoa!" said Monty.

"Guys, come on. What's someone got to do to get a little attention around here?" interjected Nightstar, as he stood before them. "We just gave you the best snow day ever. Don't you want to have more fun with us?"

But all the kids just walked through Nightstar and Jacquelyn, because as usual, Jacquelyn and Nightstar were invisible. No one saw them, heard them, or believed them. And the sadness they felt because of this was reflected in the weather, which had grown darker and colder in the last few minutes as they rode on the Wind to Jamie's house.

XXX

Later that night, Jacquelyn and Nightstar watched Jamie as he prepared for bed.

He'd drawn his sledding adventure and was telling the story to Sophie, who eagerly listened to him. But the story quickly turned to the Tooth Fairy, as Jamie was excited about getting money that night and he was trying to get his mother to let him and Sophie stay up to try and catch the Tooth Fairy in the act of leaving money under his pillow.

It was a cute sight, and reminded Jacquelyn of when Nightstar was younger and doing such things, but it was also somewhat bittersweet as it was a painful reminder of Jacquelyn and Nightstar's seemingly eternal invisibility.

While Jacquelyn continued to watch from the window, Nightstar managed to slip away to the roof. He needed to talk to the Moon and didn't want her to know about it.

"What are we doing wrong? We've been doing everything possible and yet _no one _ever believes in us. You don't talk to us. You're just silent." He sighed. "Look, if you want to ignore _me_, fine. But my mother deserves better from you. You put her here. She deserves to know why you put her here and she deserves have someone believe in her. Just one person. She's looked after me and loved me my whole life. She's worked in your name for _three centuries_ and yet you've abandoned her. Why? She deserves answers. She _needs _them. What more can she do to get someone to believe in her? Talk to her, please."

But as always, the Moon was silent.

"Nightstar," said Jacquelyn, startling him.

Nightstar spun around and saw his mother standing behind him. Instantly, he knew she'd heard everything he'd just said. "Mother, I…"

Jacquelyn held up a hand, silencing him. "Son, I heard what you said. It was sweet, but honestly, I'm fine with the way things are." Jacquelyn got discouraged at times and once in a while, she wished she did have a mortal believer, but in the great scheme of things, she knew was luckier than other immortal spirits. She had a child of her own that believed in her and always would. Children born of immortal spirits were among the rarest of the rare and Nightstar was a blessing she thanked the heavens for everyday. "I just wish I could get mortals to believe in you. You deserve that more than anyone."

Nightstar raised a skeptical eyebrow. While he knew she wanted him to have believers, he didn't quite believe that she was content not having any for herself. "Mom, I know that. But I can't believe that you're fine without believers, especially not after you were earlier."

"Sweetheart, I _do _have a believer," said Jacquelyn, gently. "_You _believe in me and that's enough."

Nightstar couldn't help but smile back as he hugged her. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're-Welcome," said Jacquelyn. "Now, what's on your mind? You look like there's something you want to ask me."

"That's because there is. Mom, would…would you tell me about my father?" asked Nightstar, hesitantly. He'd never asked about his father before, though he had wondered for years. Neither his mother nor Uncle Sandy had ever spoken of his father, which led him to believe they thought it was either too painful to speak of or Nightstar was too young to know at the time. Now that Nightstar was a hundred and fifty years old, he thought he was finally old enough and ready for answers.

Jacquelyn tensed. She'd always known someday her son would ask questions about his father, but she had secretly hoped that it would wait a little longer. "Your father? What about him?"

"What was he like? Why did he leave us?" asked Nightstar.

Jacquelyn sighed as she sat down on the roof and beckoned for Nightstar to do the same. "Nightstar, I want you to listen to me very carefully and try not to be angry with me when I tell you this. Your father didn't leave us. I left him before you were born."

Nightstar's eyes widened in surprise. "You did what? Why?" He hadn't been expecting that response. All these years, he'd assumed his father had left them, but now…

"I left him because I believed it to be for the best," she replied. "My relationship with your father is a complicated story. But to put it simply, I was young and naïve when I met him and he was charming and too good to be true. I was an easy catch for him. I loved him very much and it seemed like he loved me too. We were together for fifty years and those fifty years were magical and wonderful. Our love seemed to blaze like wildfire. But eventually, things ended between us."

"Why?" asked Nightstar. _If you were in love, why didn't you stay together? _went unspoken.

"When I found out I was expecting you, I was so excited. I went to tell him the great news. But I never got the chance because I found out he wasn't the man I thought he was. He was doing things I don't condone and looking back, I doubt he ever truly loved me," said Jacquelyn. "I was heartbroken and angry. We had an enormous fight and things ended between us. In the end, it was just as well I got out of it, because I met your Uncle Sandy afterward and things became better."

Nightstar was quiet, unsure as to how to respond to this. So many years of wondering and it turned out his father wasn't worth thinking twice of. He must not have been, if Jacquelyn wasn't even saying his father's name. "So, my father…he's still out there?" he asked, after a moment.

"I doubt he's coming back anytime soon, but yes, he's still out there somewhere," said Jacquelyn. She reached over and squeezed Nightstar's hand. "Nightstar, look at me. My relationship with your father was a mistake, but I'm never going to regret it or be sorry for it."

"And why's that?" asked Nightstar. If his father was a jerk, then why wouldn't his mother regret becoming involved with his father?

Jacquelyn smiled at him. "Because your father gave me you and you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're my entire world and do you know why?"

"Why?" asked Nightstar. He knew the answer, but he liked hearing her say it anyway.

"Because you're my son, my baby boy and I love you so much," she said.

Nightstar's heart swelled with immense joy at this as he tightly hugged his mother. "Thanks, Mom. I love you too," he said.

Jacquelyn returned the embrace and then pulled away when Sandy's dreamsand began making its way across the town.

"Right on time, Uncle Sandy," said Nightstar, smiling. "Come on, Mom. Let's chase it."

Smiling, Jacquelyn joined her son in chasing Sandy's dreamsand across Burgess. They flew into the air and landed on a telephone wire, where they were able to reach out and touch the dreamsand. Nightstar's touch created an owl and Jacquelyn's touch created a dolphin, both of which entered nearby windows and became the pleasant dreams of children.

Mother and son were so caught up in their fun that they didn't see the shadow that slipped past them unnoticed.

XXX

In her room, Cupcake slept peacefully, dreaming of riding a unicorn.

She was unaware of the figure that had entered her bedroom through the darkness of the shadows from underneath her bed.

It was Pitch Black, a.k.a. the Nightmare King and the Boogeyman. For more years than he cared to count, he'd been trapped in a frozen prison, but now he was free. After slowly regaining his power over the course of many months, he was ready to make his move and seek his vengeance upon his sworn foes, the Guardians.

He was quite tall with grey skin, glowing yellow eyes and black hair that looked as if the wind had taken liberties with it and he wore a long black robe. He looked quite scary and more than worthy of his many names.

"Ah," he said, chuckling, at the sight of Cupcake's dream. "What an adorable little dream. What a little girl, so full of hope and wonder. It's almost perfect. It's just missing one little thing, a touch of fear."

Pitch touched a long, slender bony finger to Cupcake's dream, and within moments, the unicorn's gold color changed black and caused Cupcake to flinch and wince in her sleep as it turned into one of Pitch's Nightmares.

A large black horse with glowing gold eyes then emerged. It was one of Pitch's Nightmares and he was simply delighted at his work. "Beautiful," he murmured, as he stroked the Nightmare's muzzle. "Simply beautiful. Who says fear is ugly and unwanted? All evidence to the contrary in my opinion."

The Nightmare whinnied in agreement.

"Now go, my pet. Tell the others the wait is over," he ordered.

The Nightmare obeyed and took off with the rest of its herd. Pitch then slipped out of the house and a smug looked crossed his face before he glared at the Moon.

"Don't look at me like that, Old Man!" he snarled. "You had your chance. My Nightmares are ready. Are your Guardians?" He didn't think so.

Just then, one of Pitch's Nightmares came up to him, looking panicked.

"This better be good," said Pitch, impatiently. He didn't have time for trivial matters. He had a world to conquer and foes to vanquish. His impatience vanished when the Nightmare delivered its news of what it had seen just moments ago. "What do you mean there's a new spirit? There hasn't been a new one in three centuries!" _Not since MiM created dear Jacquelyn Frost. _

The Nightmare neighed in reply.

Pitch frowned. "What? He's an immortal spirit born of two immortal spirits? That cannot be! Do you have any idea what this means if it's true?" Children born of two immortals, though quite rare, tended to be born with enormous power. "He could ruin all my plans!"

The Nightmare whinnied to Pitch, which gave him a little relief.

"He didn't appear to be with the Guardians? Good, good. That may yet work in my favor. Do you know of his parentage?" asked Pitch.

The Nightmare shook its head. It didn't know of the boy's lineage, because it had only glimpsed him for the briefest of moments before vanishing.

"So, something's cloaking the boy? Interesting." If the boy was being protected, and was powerful and quite young, it could mean Pitch could gain an ally. But he would have to tread carefully as he knew the boy might be against him like everyone else. "Find out everything you can about this boy. He may be of some use to me in my fight against the Guardians."

Something wasn't quite right. He'd sensed something different the moment he'd broken free of his prison and he knew it had something to do with the boy. What, he had no idea. But one way or another, he _would _find out.

XXX

Meanwhile, back outside Jamie's house, the dreamsand began fading away, so Jacquelyn rose up from where she'd been sitting.

"Come on, son, let's go," said Jacquelyn. "It's time we met up with Sandy and had our vacation."

"Agreed," said Nightstar.

Before they could take off, however, Jacquelyn spotted something suspicious. _Please, don't let that be what I think it is. _"Nightstar, stay here for a moment; I'm going to check something out. I'll signal you if it's safe."

Before Nightstar could protest, Jacquelyn went off, investigating the dark shadow she thought she'd seen. After a few moments, she relaxed. _It's nothing. He's not here. _She signaled Nightstar that it was safe, but then nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice say, "Hello, mate."

"Oh, jeez. Bunny, it's just you," said Jacquelyn, as she pulled back the hood of her cloak. She wasn't exactly thrilled to see the overgrown rabbit, but it was better to see him than a certain someone she'd expected.

Bunnymund stepped out of the shadows in the alley, holding one of his boomerangs and looking very cross with her.

"It's been a long time, Frostbite. Last time I saw you was the blizzard of 1968, Easter Sunday as I recall," said Bunnymund.

"Oh, please. You're not still mad about _that_, are you?" asked Jacquelyn. But knowing what a stick-in-the-mud the kangaroo was, he probably _was_ still mad.

Bunnymund narrowed his eyes as he tossed his boomerang in his hand. "Yes, but this isn't about that. Where's your brat kid, what's-his-name, Nightshade?"

Jacquelyn didn't like the sound of that. Granted she and Bunnymund weren't enemies, but they weren't exactly friends, either. "First of all, his name is Night_star_, and he's not a brat, you overgrown hairball. And second, why are you asking? If you're looking for trouble, he'll give it to you. I just have to say the word."

"No doubt of it," said Bunnymund, grumpily. "But I ain't here to fight either of you. And I ain't leaving here without the two of you with me, either. I've got orders."

"Orders?" said Nightstar, as he teleported beside his mother. He glared suspiciously at Bunnymund. "Orders from whom, dare I ask?"

"The big boss. Now!" yelled Bunnymund.

Suddenly, Jacquelyn and Nightstar were grabbed by yetis who came out of nowhere, and shoved into a large red sack, despite their protests. They were then shoved through a magical portal and landed painfully on something hard.

"Alright, that's it!" said Nightstar. His medallion glowed as he made them both disappear from the sacks and reappear outside of them. "The next time, we see that blasted rabbit, I'm going to tie his ears in a knot and permanently dye his fur pink!"

"Get in line," said Jacquelyn, as she dusted the soot and ash off her clothes. _I've got half a mind to make everyone snowbound on Easter! _It was then that she noticed that they were in North's toy factory and the Big Four themselves were there, along with plenty of yetis and elves. They were all smiling at the pair, except for Bunnymund, which was only to be expected. "Uh, sweetheart, we've got company."

"What? Oh," said Nightstar, as he faced their guests.

"Ah, Jacquelyn Frost and Sunny Day, you're finally here. Welcome to my home!" said North, cheerfully.

"You've _got _to be kidding me!" said Nightstar, looking stunned. "What's the deal?"

"Guess we'll find out," said Jacquelyn. She was just as amazed as her son, if not more, but she was more curious about _why _there were there in the first place. She glanced at Sandy, who was looking guilty. "Sandy, what's going on? Did you tell them where to find us?"

Sandy tried to explain with Dreamsand images and failed miserably, but Nightstar managed to get at least part of it.

"It's alright, Uncle Sandy. No harm done," assured Nightstar. "We're not mad."

Sandy looked a bit relieved. He truly loved his godson and deeply cared for Jacquelyn. He didn't want them to be angry with him.

"I hope the yetis treated you well," said North, as though they hadn't spoken.

"Oh, yeah. It was great. We just _love _getting stuffed in a sack and thrown through a magic portal," said Nightstar, sarcastically.

North, apparently, didn't know sarcasm when he heard it, because he just grinned. "Oh, good. That was my idea. Now, introductions. I am North, as you well know." He then began beckoning to the other three Guardians. "You know Bunny, obviously." Bunny was leaning against a column and found his nails quite interesting. "And you know Sandy." Sandy smiled at them. "And this is Toothiana, but everyone calls her Tooth."

The hummingbird humanoid smiled quite happily as she flew over to them. "Hello, Nightstar! Oh, you are so handsome! Hi, Jacquelyn! Oh, do you mind if I call you Jackie? Jacquelyn's a bit of a mouthful. I just know we're going to be great friends! I've heard so much about you two and your teeth."

Jacquelyn stared, not accustomed to Tooth's bubbliness and scatterbrained behavior. "Uh…Jackie's fine. And what was that last part?"

"Your teeth! Are they really as white as freshly fallen snow like your son's?" squealed Tooth, as she and her helpers opened Jacquelyn and Nightstar's mouths to look at their teeth. "Oh, Nightstar, your adult teeth are just as pretty as your baby teeth!"

Tooth's little helpers were squealing and looking at them with awe and delight at the sight of Jacquelyn and Nightstar's shining teeth.

"Hey, cut it out, that tickles!" laughed Nightstar, as one of Tooth's Mini-Fairies affectionately rubbed his cheek with her feathers.

"Girls, behave," said Tooth.

"It's fine, isn't it, cute one?" said Jacquelyn, as she stroked one of the fairies' feathery head. She wouldn't admit it, but she had a soft spot for fairies.

"Alright, girls, pull yourselves together now. Let's not disgrace the uniform," said Tooth, sounding like a stern mother.

The fairies obeyed and hovered above Tooth's shoulder.

"So, is anyone going to explain why Nightstar and I are here? Don't tell me my son's Naughty List," said Jacquelyn.

"Hey!" said Nightstar, indignantly. But he looked to be amused, rather than offended.

North just laughed. "Neither of you are on the Naughty List. You're both prone to…mischief, but you've managed to stay on Nice List for long time. Now, you're both on the very _top_ of the Nice List."

Jacquelyn raised a skeptical eyebrow while Nightstar looked surprised.

"Well, thanks, but is there any particular reason why?" asked Nightstar.

"You want to know why? I'll tell you why! Now, you are Guardians! Music, please!" said North, happily.

Yetis let out roars as they lifted up torches of fire and the elves played fanfare music. Confetti fell from the ceiling, gifts of shoes with jingle bells were offered up, there were servings of fresh-baked cookies and eggnog and North was pulling out an enormous brown and gold book.

Jacquelyn shared a look with Nightstar, who nodded at her. Jacquelyn then plunged her staff into the floor, turning the floor to ice and causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stared with wide eyes.

"You have _got _to be kidding me! What on _earth_ makes you think my son and I want to be Guardians?" she demanded. She couldn't believe this. _After centuries of us being ignored and isolated, now suddenly they wanted to include us in their little club? Please._ Jacquelyn didn't buy it. What did they want from the two spirits? "We're not doing this. We don't want it!"

North didn't believe her. "Of course you want to be Guardians!" he said, laughing. "Music!"

Before anyone could play music again, Jacquelyn raised her staff threateningly, making them all stop in their tracks. "The next being who tries to perform music will end up an ice-cube for a month!" she warned. _Or I could just have Nightstar scare them half to death. _She hadn't decided yet. "Look, we're flattered, really, but the answer's still no. A Guardian's life isn't for us. You're all hard work and deadlines. We're all snow balls, pranks, starry skies and fun time. That's not us."

"I'm with my mother on this," said Nightstar, nodding. "We're not Guardians."

"Why am I not surprised?" muttered Bunnymund. He shot North a smug look. "You see? I _told _you that they weren't Guardian material!"

Everyone ignored Bunnymund.

Tooth flew up to Jacquelyn and Sunny, trying to fix the situation. "Nightsar, Jacquelyn, I don't think you understand what it is we do. Look at this." She showed them the large Globe, where there were many twinkling lights on every continent. "Each and every one of those lights is a child who believes in all of us."

"They believe in _you_ goofs, you mean," muttered Jacquelyn, under her breath.

No one heard her.

"And good _or _bad, naughty _or_ nice, we protect them," said North, firmly.

"Protect them?" repeated Nightstar, looking confused. "But what could you possibly protect them from? Life?"

"No, worse. From Pitch Black, the Boogeyman," said North, dramatically. "When he threatens _us_, he threatens _them!_" he pointed to the lights on the Globe.

Nightstar looked startled. While he'd never met the Nightmare King, Nightstar knew about Pitch from the stories he'd been told growing up and hadn't liked hearing them one bit as they'd sometimes given him nightmares.

Jacquelyn paled a little as she scoffed. "Pitch Black, the Nightmare King? That's impossible. He can't be back. It's got to be a mistake," she said. But even as Jacquelyn said it, she knew it was a lie. She'd always known Pitch's return had always been a possibility, as he was immortal just like the rest of them and there would always be fear in the world. Nevertheless, a part of her had always hoped that the Nightmare King wouldn't return for a number of reasons.

_**It's no mistake**__,_ said Sandy, writing out the words with his Dreamsand. _**Pitch has returned.**_

Nightstar looked concerned while Jacquelyn quickly regained her composure.

"Well, that being said, Pitch's return is all the more reason for you to pick people more qualified to fight him," said Jacquelyn, briskly. While she knew they were all immortal spirits, Pitch's black sand was deadly and often fatal. For all she knew, Nightstar wasn't immune to its effects and MiM might take pity on him. How could she possibly risk her son's life? Simple, she _wouldn't_. Granted Nightstar was old enough to make his own decisions, but if she had a choice, he wouldn't be part of the battle.

"We _didn't _pick you," snapped Bunnymund. He pointed his boomerang up at the window. "_He _chose you two to be Guardians, just like he chose the rest of us."

"He being—?" asked Nightstar.

Sandy responded by making a moon symbol with his Dreamsand.

"Hold on, back up. You're telling us that the Man in the Moon picked _us_ to be _Guardians_?" said Nightstar, frowning. "He _talks _to you?"

"He chose you and your mother to be Guardians last night, Nightstar," explained Tooth.

Nightstar and Jacquelyn exchanged equally agitated looks and felt as though they were about to burst with frustration and impatience.

"Oh, well that's just _excellent, _isn't it?" said Nightstar, furiously. "He talks to the four of you but leaves my mother alone for centuries and doesn't ever bother saying a word to me? I think after all these years, of working in his name; we deserve some respect and consideration! And what makes him think we want to spend the rest of eternity cooped up in a hovel trying to bribe kids?"

"Nightstar, calm yourself," said Jacquelyn, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You're starting to scare everyone."

When Nightstar was particularly angry, his powers acted up and could cause quite a bit of fear.

Nightstar took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm sorry, Mom. But what makes _him_ think after abandoning you that you or I owe him anything?" True, the Moon had given Nightstar his medallion, but that was it. After working for so many years in his name with not so much as a whisper, they owed him nothing.

"I know, sweetheart. I know," said Jacquelyn. She then faced the Guardians. "Look, we don't belong here. Nightstar and I have our hands full as it is. Besides our usual duties, I'm busy looking after my son, and he's busy keeping me out of trouble. So, our answer's still no. We're not becoming Guardians, not now, not _ever_. It's not for us, no offense."

"Ho-how is that not offensive?" spluttered Bunnymund, as he scratched his ear with his back foot. "You know what; I think we should just let them go. We probably just dodged a bullet here. I mean, what do these two clowns really know about bringing joy to children anyway?"

Jacquelyn smirked as Nightstar folded his arms across his chest. Now it seemed they had to defend themselves to the overgrown fluff ball.

"Uh, you ever hear of a snow day or a good prank or a meteor shower? They may not be colored hardboiled eggs, but kids _love _what we do," said Nightstar.

"But none of them believe in you, do they, Nightshade?" countered Bunnymund, glaring. "The two of you are just invisible, like you don't even exist, whereas, almost every kid in the world believes in us, _especially_ me."

Tooth gasped and flew in between the three of them. "Bunny! That's _enough_," she said, sternly.

Nightstar looked annoyed while Jacquelyn held up her hand.

"No, no, the kangaroo's right," said Jacquelyn, knowing it'd ruffle the rabbit's fur.

"What? _What_ did you call me?" demanded Bunnymund, as he got right in their faces. He looked furious. "I am _not _a kangaroo, mate. I'm a bunny. The _Easter Bunny!_"

"Really? I could've sworn that you were a kangaroo, considering that normal bunnies aren't six feet tall or have Australian accents," quipped Jacquelyn, smirking at the outraged look on his face. "And so what if we don't have scores of believers like you? At least having believers isn't beneficial to my health." She and her son knew perfectly well what happened when Guardians didn't have a sufficient amount of believers. "We know the risk you four carry every single day. You honestly think we want that?"

"And how _dare _you insult my mother like that, you overgrown tribble?" growled Nightstar. "So, no one believes in us. Fine. We're used to it. But you know what, unlike you, we've got something you'll _never _have, Bugs. My mother's got _me, _a child that loves her and who'll _never _stop believing in her no matter what, and I've got a mother that loves me and would gladly trade her life for mine if necessary. Which is more than _you'll _ever have! And I think we know plenty about bringing joy to kids considering my mother's actually _had _a kid and I've _been _a kid before. She's taken care of me for years and I'm plenty happy. So, who're you to judge and lecture us, Cottonbutt?"

Bunnymund, North and Tooth were silent as they realized that Nightstar and Jacquelyn were right, but the argument was far from over just yet.

"And you know what else I think, Kangaroo? You don't want us as Guardians because you're still sore about 1968," said Jacquelyn, matter-of-factly. "Which, I've got to say is kind of silly, considering it was almost fifty years ago!"

"It is NOT silly! You sent in a _blizzard _on _Easter Sunday_, Frost!" yelled Bunnymund. "You just about ruined my holiday!"

"Yes, I can see that," said Jacquelyn, dryly. "And yet you're still here, decades later, with plenty of believers. Yes, I can see how my one little blizzard _completely_ ruined you. Rather dramatic, aren't we, Kangaroo? Besides, we both know I already apologized for that _several _times and I was even nice enough to help you with your egg and candy deliveries that year, or have you forgotten that already because of your little grudge?"

Bunnymund looked flabbergasted as he realized he'd been defeated.

Nightstar frowned. "But, Mom, you—"

"Nightstar, _hush_," interrupted Jacquelyn, sternly, giving him a look that made him fall silent.

At that point, Sandy got North's attention and gave him a look. North then intervened before anymore damage was done.

"Enough with this quarrelling," said North. He seemed quite serious. "Jacquelyn, Nightstar, Pitch is a very real threat. His nightmares spread fear into the hearts of children and that gives him power and gives him a great advantage."

Jacquelyn and Nightstar exchanged looks and then sighed.

"Look, we get that the Boogeyman's dangerous. But what we don't get is why you want _us _to be Guardians so badly. Why didn't you just refuse MiM's orders and just go about your business as usual? Why do you suddenly want us after all these years of ignoring us?" asked Jacquelyn. "Would you have even asked us to be here and join your little club if the blasted Moon hadn't made you?"

Granted Sandy didn't even really know Jacquelyn until she was a hundred and fifty years old, but the others had no excuse. Sandy befriended Jacquelyn and helped care for Nightstar just because he wanted to and because he genuinely _cared_. Not because someone had _commanded _him so. While Jacquelyn knew the Guardians had busy lives, they had no idea what it was like to be alone and invisible or to raise a child while still maintaining your duties. How could they think that after leaving Jacquelyn alone for so many years and barely paying any attention to her son that she and Nightstar would just up and join them as though the past didn't matter? It didn't make any sense.

No one replied for a moment. North and Tooth exchanged guilty regretful looks while Bunnymund just turned away. Even Sandy looked a bit regretful, as though he was wishing he'd found Jacquelyn sooner than he had.

"You're right," said North, breaking the silence. "We shouldn't have left you alone for so long. We were wrong and we are deeply sorry. But you are wrong about us only asking you here because of MiM. He chose you, but we chose to obey him. No one made us. We genuinely want you both with us. We cannot change the past. We can only work together to make a better future."

"I _really _hate to admit it, but the Jolly One's got a point, Mom," admitted Nightstar.

"I suppose so," said Jacquelyn. _But it doesn't make the hurt go away or change the face that neither one of us are going to become Guardians. _

"Jacquelyn, Nightstar, walk with me, will you?" said North.

Reluctantly, Jacquelyn and Nightstar obeyed.

XXX

North took them to an elevator and led them down the many halls leading up to his office.

His workshop was quite the delightful sight to see with all the workers, toys, glitter and magic of Christmas. Jacquelyn and Nightstar couldn't stop looking around, trying to get it all in.

"Slow down, would you? We've been trying to bust into this place for years. We want a good look," said Jacquelyn.

"What do you mean '_bust in_'?" demanded North.

"Don't worry, we never got past the yetis," assured Nightstar. His face lit up at the sight of one of them. "Hey, Phil!" he said. "Long time no see."

The large grey yeti just smiled and gave Nightstar a playful noogie.

While growing up, Nightstar had decided to try busting into North's workshop and Jacquelyn had found herself agreeing to go along with it as it was all in good fun. Due to the fact it was just fun and weren't actually _trying _to get in (Nightstar could've just teleported in if he wanted to) they always got caught and stopped by the yetis. Though, surprisingly enough; the yetis were quite fond of Nightstar. Most likely it was because he was a kid during their attempts to bust in.

And although North didn't know it, Jacquelyn was closer with his reindeer than his yetis, Rudolph in particular. She'd ensured red-nosed reindeer's place at the lead of North's sleigh with the fog that one Christmas Eve many years ago.

"Keep up, you two! Keep up!" said North, briskly.

With reluctance, Jacquelyn and Nightstar did so, and they followed the Jolly One into his office, where he then shut the door and held up a fruitcake. "Fruitcake?" he offered.

"Uh…no," said Nightstar, as politely as he could. He _hated _fruitcake.

"No, thank you," said Jacquelyn.

North nodded and then looked serious. "Suit yourselves. But now, we'll get down to tacks of brass." As he spoke, the door closed behind them and locked, which didn't bode well.

"Excuse me?" demanded Jacquelyn. She stood protectively in front of Nightstar and tightly gripped her staff. "What are you talking about, North?"

"Who are you, Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost?" demanded North. "What are your centers?"

Completely baffled and confused, Jacquelyn and Nightstar just stared at North.

"Our centers?" asked Nightstar, frowning.

"If Man in Moon chose you both as Guardians, then you must both have something very special inside," explained North. When they still looked confused, North frowned and rubbed his chin in though. "Here, let me explain this way." He took a large nesting doll off one of the shelves and placed it in Jacquelyn's hands.

The nesting doll was of North and it looked downright grumpy and scary.

"This is how you see me, no? Very big and intimidating, but if you get to know me, you'll find many hidden layers and my center," said North. "Go on. Look and see."

Jacquelyn and Nightstar exchanged skeptical looks before Jacquelyn handed her staff to her son, and opened the nesting doll. The smaller doll inside was smiling. "You are downright jolly?" she said, to North.

North nodded. "But not _just _jolly!"

Jacquelyn opened another doll, and this time the doll was concealing its face in North's red suit.

"I am also mysterious," continued North.

The next doll was brave and somewhat fierce.

"And fearless," said North.

The next doll was of North crying as he held a puppy in his arms.

"And caring," said North. "And at my center…"

Nightstar raised an eyebrow at the last doll inside. It was a tiny wooden baby with enormous blue eyes wrapped up in a red blanket. "There's a tiny wooden baby." Where was North going with this, exactly? It didn't make any sense.

"Look closer," said North. "What do you see?"

"Uh…you have big eyes?" guessed Jacquelyn.

North looked thrilled. "Yes! Big eyes, _very _big eyes, because they are full of _wonder!_ That is my center. That is what I was born with, eyes that have only seen the wonder in everything!" As if for further proof, North swung open the door and had them look at his workshop where toys were being built and others were flying throughout the workshop. "Eyes that see lights in the trees, and magic in the air! This wonder is what I put into the world and what I protect in children. It's what makes me a Guardian. It is my center. So, I ask again: what're your centers?"

Jacquelyn and Nightstar sighed.

"We don't know," admitted Jacquelyn. She'd never known. Jacquelyn was too busy raising her son and having fun to consider what her center might be, just as Nightstar was too busy being an immortal teenager and working in the stars to find out his.

North just smiled as he nodded, as though he'd expected this. "Well, until you do figure it out, keep this with you." He placed the tiniest nesting doll into Nightstar's hand. "You'll find your centers, and when you do, you'll know you're meant to be Guardians."

"Thanks, North," said Nightstar, as he slipped the doll into his jeans' pocket.

Just then, Tooth and her fairies flew by the window at lightning speed and then Bunnymund hopped up to them, looking panicked. "We've got trouble at Tooth Palace."


	3. Tooth Palace

**Tooth Palace**

Quickly, North leapt into action. He put on his red coat and hat, and armed himself with his swords while ordering the yetis and elves to prepare his sleigh. He then led Jacquelyn and Nightstar, who were protesting a bit, down to the launch room.

"North! We told you, there's no way we're climbing into some rickety old….sleigh." Nightstar's voice wandered off when the sleigh came into view. It was everything Sandy had told him and more. It was huge, bright gleaming red and led by North's reindeer. It wasn't something old and rickety, it was high-tech and like a hotrod. It was _amazing_.

North looked smug at the stunned looks on Nightstar and Jacquelyn's faces. "Everyone loves the sleigh. So, you coming?"

"Well, maybe just one ride," said Nightstar.

"Hold it," said Jacquelyn. She grabbed Nightstar's arm and pulled him away for a moment. "Son, think carefully before you do this. Pitch is dangerous and there are some things even us immortals aren't immune from. I don't want to lose you, but I know you're grown and I can't stop you from making your own decisions. But I just need to know if you're _sure _you're ready for this and you want to do this," she said, seriously.

Nightstar was quiet for a moment before nodding. "We both know we're both going. Uncle Sandy needs us. We _have _to go." He didn't want to fight Pitch anymore than she did, but what choice was there? They needed to do this.

Jacquelyn sighed. She still looked afraid, but not disappointed. She took Nightstar's hand in hers before they climbed into North's sleigh with Sandy, who was eagerly anticipating the ride. Bunnymund, however, just stood there and looked petrified.

"Bunny, what're you waiting for? Get in!" said North, as he took the reins.

"Actually, I think my tunnels will be faster and safer," said Bunnymund.

Bunnymund tried to leave, but Nightstar teleported Bunnymund into the sleigh and made him a seatbelt of ice. "Don't be such a scaredy-rabbit. Just sit back and _relax_."

Jacquelyn couldn't help but laugh as North then launched the sleigh and they took off. It was an amazing and thrilling ride. They went down many twists and turns in the ice-covered tunnels at great speeds. They ended up doing a great loop-de-loop before reaching the outside and launching into the air. All the while, North, Sandy, Jacquelyn and Nightstar were greatly enjoying the ride while Bunnymund looked terrified and turned green while clutching the icy seatbelt and yelling in fear.

"Whoo-hoo!" yelled Jacquelyn. She glanced back as they flew higher. "Man, Bunny, look at this view. It's—whoa!"

A gust of wind suddenly burst and pushed Jacquelyn off the sleigh.

Bunnymund's eyes widened in panic. "North! Jacquelyn's—" But his look of fear turned to one of disgust when he managed to peek over the sleigh's rail and he saw Jacquelyn lying comfortably on the sleigh's skid.

"Ah, you _do _care," she teased, as she flew back into the sleigh.

Bunnymund's frown deepened. "Rack off, you bloody showpony!"

Nightstar just laughed hysterically and Sandy looked amused as they high-fived one another.

"Hold on, everyone! I know a shortcut!" said North. He took a magical snow globe out of his pocket and whispered, "Tooth Palace." Tooth's home appeared in the snow globe and then North tossed the snow globe into the sky. It created a large and beautiful magic portal, which took them to Tooth Palace, which resided deep in the mountains on another continent. It was quite beautiful, but there was little time to admire the majestic beauty, as the sleigh's passengers found themselves being swarmed upon by countless Nightmares.

"Whoa!" yelled North, as he struggled to steer the sleigh safely.

Jacquelyn's eyes widened in horror when she saw Tooth's Mini-Fairies trapped inside the Nightmares' bellies as they were swallowed up.

"They're taking the Mini-Fairies!" said Jacquelyn.

She then spotted Tooth's lieutenant, Baby Tooth, as the little fairy was about to be swallowed up by a Nightmare. Jacquelyn leapt into the air and managed to grab her, saving her just in time. She then landed back in the sled and looked over the little fairy.

"Hey little Baby Tooth," said Jacquelyn, as she stroked the trembling Mini-Fairy. "Are you okay?"

Baby Tooth nodded and emitted a squeak of gratitude.

"Give her to me. I can keep her warm better than you can," said Nightstar.

Jacquelyn nodded and passed the Mini-Fairy to her son. Baby Tooth let out a squeal of contentment as she was placed in the warmth of Nightstar's hoodie pocket.

North steered the sleigh into the Tooth Palace before passing the reins to Jacquelyn. "Here, Jackie, take over!" he ordered.

Jacquelyn looked startled, but didn't disobey. "Yah!" she said, as she steered.

North managed to disintegrate one of the Nightmares with his swords. As the Nightmare turned to a pile of black sand, teeth containers spilled out into the sleigh, much to everyone's horror. Nightstar undid Bunnymund's seatbelt so the rabbit could get a better look.

"They're stealing the teeth!" said Bunnymund.

"Everyone, hold on!" yelled Jacquelyn, as she narrowly stopped them from crashing into a pole. The resulting crash landing caused Nightstar to fall out of the sleigh and land right in front of half a dozen Nightmares.

He was about to defend himself, but the Fearlings didn't attack. They sniffed him and then just backed away a few feet.

"What in Polaris's name—?" murmured Nightstar.

Baby Tooth timidly peeked out of Nightstar's hoodie, and looked as confused as he was at the sight before them. The Nightmares weren't attacking. They were bowing down to Nightstar and looking as if they were waiting for his commands.

"Are you going to obey me?" he asked, hesitantly.

The Nightmares nodded and whinnied to him.

Nightstar couldn't believe this. How was he able to control Pitch's Nightmares? _This shouldn't be possible. Why did no one tell me I could do this? _But then again, perhaps no one else had known he could control them, which would explain one thing, but not the other. However, it mattered it little as there were more pressing matters to deal with.

Noticing how much the Nightmares scared Baby Tooth, Nightstar whispered soothing words and instructions into her ear before teleporting her away.

XXX

Meanwhile, Jacquelyn and the others were getting out of the crashed sleigh as Tooth frantically flew around the Palace, looking terrified and worried.

"Tooth, are you all right?" asked North.

Tooth frantically shook her head. "No, I'm not all right! They took my fairies and all the teeth! They took _everything! _Everything's gone!" she said, looking devastated. She fell to her knees as her wings drooped and the others tried to comfort her.

Baby Tooth then appeared via Nightstar's teleportation. She was unharmed and safe, and looked happy as she squeaked and flew into Tooth's hands.

Tooth looked relieved and happy. "Oh, thank goodness!" she said. "At least one of you is all right. Oh, sweetie…"

"I have to say, this is very, very exciting," said Pitch, his chilling voice boomed through the cavernous walls. "The Big Four, all in one place. I'm a little star stuck."

Everyone tensed and prepared to fight. Pitch was there somewhere, lurking in the shadows like the evil cowardly little snake that he was.

Pitch then appeared on top of one of one of the columns, looking smug and villainous. "Did you like my show on the Globe, North? Brought you all together, didn't it?"

North looked angry at being played while Tooth flew up, looking furious. "Pitch! You've got thirty seconds to return my fairies—"

"Or what? You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?" sneered Pitch, as he slipped away before Tooth could attack him. He then reappeared at another column, and gave them all a mocking look.

"Why are you doing this?" demanded North.

Jacquelyn rolled her eyes at North's rather ridiculous question. Did the Guardians—minus Sandy—truly know nothing about their sworn enemy? Pitch was either doing this for revenge or he wanted power. Most likely it was both. How could they not know that?

"Maybe, I want what you have," said Pitch angrily. "To be believed in. Maybe I'm tired of hiding under beds!"

"Maybe, that's where you belong!" snarled Bunnymund.

Pitch just sneered again. "Oh, why don't you just eat a carrot and hide in your burrow, rabbit?" he said, as he disappeared into the shadows once more.

Jacquelyn's heart was pounding as she tightened her grip on her staff. _Nightstar, wherever you are, please stay away from this! _She didn't want to imagine the consequence of Pitch seeing Nightstar and fighting him.

"Wait a moment, is that…no, it couldn't be. Lynn, is that you?" said Pitch, in disbelief. He appeared before Jacquelyn looking both surprised and pleased to see her. "Now, this is an unexpected but most wonderful surprise, Lynn. It's been far too long, wouldn't you agree? But I must say, you've grown even more beautiful than when I saw you last, Beloved."

Tooth, North, and Bunnymund looked surprised and disbelieving at Pitch's choice of words and the stunning revelation that Jacquelyn and Pitch were acquainted with each other.

"'_Beloved_'?" mouthed Bunnymund, to North.

Pitch tried to caress Jacquelyn's cheek, only for her to pull away and glare at him in disgust. "Stuff it, Pitch. As far as I'm concerned, it hasn't been long enough."

Pitch smirked. "I doubt that, my love. I know you too well," he said.

"You know nothing about me!" she snarled. "You never did and you never will!"

"Frostbite, what is he talking about?" demanded Bunnymund, as he gripped his boomerang tighter.

Pitch glanced at the Guardians and then let out a small laugh. "Oh, this is rich. You haven't told your new Guardian chums about our past."

"Because there's nothing to tell!" said Jacquelyn, angrily. "And not that it's any of your business, but I'm only close friends with Sandy. He's Nightstar's godfather."

Pitch looked confused. "Nightstar?" he repeated. "Who's—"

Pitch was cut off when out of nowhere, his own Nightmares attacked him before Nightstar grabbed his shadow and flung him into the wall.

"_I _am Nightstar," he said. "And I'm going to make you pay for what you've done, you pompous windbag."

North, Bunnymund and Tooth stared in complete shock at this.

"Did he just make Pitch's Nightmares attack him?" gasped Tooth. "How did he—?"

But no one answer Tooth's question, as Pitch recovered quickly from the attack and swiftly regained control over his Nightmares before gazing at Nightstar with the strangest look on his face. "Incredible," he murmured, as he circled around Nightstar. "I'd heard that there was a child born of two immortals, but I didn't know it was _you_, one like me. No wonder I thought I sensed you before. How could I not?"

Nightstar's eyes darkened with anger. "I'm _nothing _like you!" he snarled.

Jacquelyn looked equally furious as she came in between Pitch and Nightstar before he could touch her son. "Get your filthy hands away my son, Pitch!" She blasted Pitch with her staff, only for him to dodge the attack and then grab her before he made them reappear high above. Her staff fell to the ground, rendering her powerless as she was trapped in a cocoon of Nightmare Sand.

"_Your _son, Lynn?" he hissed. "I think you mean _our _son. Did you really think I wouldn't realize the boy's _mine _as well as yours? He was born of _us_."

Everyone except for Sandy looked both horrified and shocked at this, especially Nightstar.

Jacquelyn just glared at Pitch. "Shut up, Pitch! There's no 'us' and Nightstar's _nothing _like you!"

"Really? The result of our love says differently," said Pitch, casting a glance at Nightstar. "Oh, did your mother not tell you, son, how I took her in when she was lonely and forgotten two hundred years ago? How I gave her a home and we fell deeply in love, only for to betray me fifty years later by imprisoning me so deeply in ice that took a century and a half to break free of?"

Nightstar's silence was answer enough. He hadn't known any of this.

"And then you have the nerve to not only not tell my son about me, Lynn," said Pitch, as he gazed at Jacquelyn again. "But you didn't tell him about me and you kepthim from me. How could you do such a thing? How could you trap me in all that ice and not tell me I'd fathered a child?"

Jacquelyn scoffed. "This coming from the man who usedme and lied to me for half a century?" she said, angrily. "You and I were a mistake, Pitch. Nightstar's the only good thing that came of it. And how dare you ask why I didn't tell you? You didn't deserve to know! You were a monster then and you're a monster now. You're not fit to be a father!"

"How can you judge me like that? I never had the chance to _be _a father because you took it from me! I may have done terrible things in our past, but that never meant I didn't love you," whispered Pitch, looking heartbroken. "I lied about what I am, but I never once lied about my feelings for you, my love. I loved you back then and I love you still. Don't deny you didn't love me back. You _still_ love me, Lynn. Don't deny it."

"Okay, I've heard enough!" said Bunnymund. He tossed egg bombs at Pitch, causing him to release Jacquelyn. Nightstar tossed her staff to her in record time, which allowed her to fly before she hit the ground.

Tooth then grabbed one of Bunnymund's boomerangs and flew up to Pitch to attack him as she let out a war cry, but she fell back when Onyx, Pitch's favorite Nightmare, appeared and forced the humanoid hummingbird back.

"Easy, girl, easy," said Pitch, soothingly to the Nightmare. He stroked the Nightmare as one would a dog or cat. He chuckled as he held out tiny grains of Nightmare Sand. "Look familiar, Sandman? It took me a while to perfect this little trick of turning Dreams into Nightmares. Don't be nervous. It only riles them up more. They smell fear, you know."

"What fear?" demanded Bunnymund. "Of you? No one's been afraid of you since the Dark Ages!"

Pitch sighed dramatically as he smiled. "Oh, the Dark Ages. Such a wonderful time. Full of misery and fear. Such a happy time for _me_. Oh, the power I wielded!" An angry look then crossed Pitch's face. "But then the Man in the Moon chose _you _to replace my fear with your filthy wonder and light! Lifting their hearts and giving them hope. Meanwhile everyone wrote me off as just a bad dream. '_Oh, there's nothing to be afraid of. There's no such thing as the Boogeyman!_' Well, that's all about to change. Oh, look, it's happening already."

Already, parts of Tooth's home were crumbling, the paintings on the walls were fading and Tooth was losing most of her color and feathers. She let out a gasp of horror. "The children…they don't believe in me anymore."

Pitch looked smug. "Oh, indeed. Children all over the world are waking up and realizing that the Tooth Fairy never came. Such a tiny and trivial thing, really, but to a child it's so much more. Something you might want to consider, Nightstar, before joining up with these buffoons. If Guardians don't have enough believers, then little by little, they go away along with all the memories, hopes, wonders and dreams," he said, cackling. "No more Christmas or Easter or good dreams or little fairies that come in the night. There will be nothing but fear and darkness, and me. It's your turn not to be believed in, Guardians. Oh, and Nightstar, one last thing. There's a seat on the throne beside me if you wish it. After all, you are my son and what is a king without an heir? What do you say?"

"NEVER!" yelled Nightstar, as they all attacked him.

But their efforts were fruitless as Pitch got onto Onyx's back and rode the Nightmare downwards before disappearing through the cracks without a trace.

"He's gone," said North.

"Great. _Now _how do we find him?" grumbled Bunnymund. He slapped his forehead. "What am I saying? That can wait. We need answers. Answers on a certain showpony can provide!"

Everyone turned and gazed at Jacquelyn, who looked sad and somewhat frightened. She hadn't denied what Pitch had said, but it could've been a lie just to trick him. But they wouldn't know until she told them.

Nightstar approached his mother, looking hesitant. "Mother…is what Pitch said true? Is he my birth father?" he asked.

Jacquelyn knew that Nightstar didn't want to know that Pitch was his father. He didn't want it to be confirmed that he was blood-kin to a monster. He wanted her to deny it, to say it was all a lie or a trick. But Jacquelyn couldn't bring herself to lie to her son. Tears glistened in Jacquelyn's eyes as she nodded. "Yes," she confessed. "Pitch is your father, Nightstar."

Nightstar looked visibly sick as he backed away and leaned against the cave wall.

"But how is that possible? He disappeared after the Dark Ages and didn't come back until now," said Tooth, confused.

"Pitch was always there, Tooth. You just didn't see him," said Jacquelyn. "I did. One night, when I was a hundred years ago and still young and naïve, I was hanging around Burgess moping over being invisible and feeling lonely and he appeared out of nowhere. He didn't seem frightening at all, just curious about me and almost _gentle_ and kind. At that point, I was willing to do anything to have a friend, so I ignored my instincts that something was wrong and talked to him for hours. He explained things to me that MiM never did; and he knew was it was like to be alone and without believers. He was charismatic, charming, and irresistible. He offered to let me live with him in his home and promised to take care of me if I went with him. I agreed."

"You _agreed_?" said Bunnymund, incredulously. "Frostbite, what were you thinking? Trusting Pitch is insane on so many levels! And how _could _you fall in love with that creep?"

That earned him a smack from Sandy, who glared at him as Dreamsand steam came out his ears.

"Bunny, I get it. I was stupid. I know it seems insane that I fell in love with him, but how could I not? I didn't become close friends with Sandy until fifty years later; and up until I met Pitch, I was so alone, invisible, and without friends or anyone to care about me for so many years. He said he loved me and he swore I'd never be alone again. I wanted to believe that so badly that I became blind to his faults and I ignored how the Wind disliked him. Pitch made me feel like I was special, like I was actually worth something and wonderful. You've always had believers and friends. You've no idea what it's like to _not _have that," said Jacquelyn.

Bunnymund fell silent and had the decency to look ashamed.

"Pitch was there for me when no one else was and before I knew it, I was deeply in love with him. But I had no idea of his true nature until we'd been together for fifty years and then one night, I found out I was expecting Nightstar. Pitch had been out, so I went looking for him to tell him the news. I expected it to be a thrilling night full of excitement, instead I found him terrorizing a child and ended up confronting him. I found he'd been using me to regain his strength. Needless to say, I didn't tell him about our son, we ended up fighting. I froze him in so much ice that I thought he'd never break free. I ran off to cry and then a few hours later, Sandy found me. I ended up telling him what happened. I told him the truth and instead of judging me, he gave me a home and the rest is history."

"So, wait, Uncle Sandy, you _knew _Pitch is my father and you didn't tell me?" said Nightstar, looking both hurt and angry.

Sandy nodded, looking regretful.

"Sweetheart, don't be angry with him. When I ended things with Pitch, I got scared. I was afraid if others knew you're Pitch's son, you'd endure an outcast's life. I didn't want that for you. Sandy kept it secret because I asked him to. He was trying to protect you. I wanted to be the one to tell you about Pitch," said Jacquelyn.

"Then why didn't you, Mother?" demanded Nightstar. He couldn't believe she'd kept something like this from him. "I had a right to know about my father and you didn't say a word to me about him when I was growing up! You only told me stories of Pitch being a monster. Nothing more. When I finally asked you about my father, why didn't you tell me he and my father were one and the same?" He was hurt and angry. His entire world had been yanked out from underneath him and he felt lost.

Jacquelyn sighed and looked sad. "I'm sorry, Nightstar. You're right. I should've told you. I always planned on doing telling when you were old enough to understand and started asking questions. But I was a coward. When you finally asked me, I just…I lost my nerve. I couldn't bring myself to tell you that your father's a monster. You were already so hurt by what I told you, I thought it would only hurt further if you knew your father's Pitch. I never meant to keep secrets from you or hurt you. I just wanted to protect you and keep you innocent."

Nightstar sighed. He couldn't bring himself to be angry with his mother. She hadn't meant to hurt him. She'd only sought to protect him because she loved him. Everything she'd ever done was because she loved him and wanted him to be happy. How could he be angry with that?

"You're not a coward, Mom," he said. "You're the bravest person I've ever known."

That brought tears to Jacquelyn's eyes and they shared a tight embrace. "I love you so much, sweetie," she murmured.

"I love you too," said Nightstar. "But if I can control Pitch's Nightmares, does that mean I'll…"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Nightstar Frost!" interrupted Jacquelyn, sternly. "You are _not _going to be your father's son! Half of you may come from Pitch, but half of you comes from me and you are your own man! You'll never be your father."

"How do you know that for certain?" asked Nightstar.

Sandy then got Nightstar's attention and wrote out with his dreamsand, _**Father Time was there when you were born and told your mother and I so, Nightstar.**_

Nightstar's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't known of this. "Father Time was there? Why?"

"It's his job to be there when immortal children are born and I had things I needed to ask him," said Jacquelyn, gently. "But even if he hadn't told me, I wouldn't believe you'd become your father."

Nightstar smiled a little at this. "Thanks."

"Good. Now, I know you have a lot of questions, but they're going to have to wait a while," said Jacquelyn.

"Yeah, I know," said Nightstar. There were other things he wanted to ask, but he could wait a little longer for more answers.

"Shouldn't we go to Pitch's lair to find the teeth and fairies, Frostbite?" asked Bunnymund. "If you know where he is—"

"I don't," interrupted Jacquelyn. "Pitch moves his lair ten years so people can't find it. He's bound to have moved it by now. I wouldn't even know where to start looking for it. I'm sorry."

Bunnymund looked disappointed but said no more on the subject. Instead, he began talking to North about possible plans while Sandy sat there quietly, thinking.

Nightstar turned to Tooth and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "We're sorry about the fairies, Tooth."

Tooth just nodded. "Thank you."

"Why'd Pitch take the teeth?" asked Nightstar.

"Do you remember those stories Sandy and I told you when you were younger? The teeth are very important in many ways," said Jacquelyn.

"The teeth weren't what Pitch wanted. He was after the memories inside them. My fairies and I collect the teeth because they contain the most important memories of childhood," explained Tooth, as she showed Nightstar and Jacquelyn an ancient mural. "We watch over them and when someone needs to remember what's important, we remind them. We had everyone's here, including yours and your mother's."

Jacquelyn looked surprised. "You really _did _have my memories?" Pitch and Sandy had told her of this, but she'd never allowed herself to believe it until now. While Jacquelyn longed for answers about her past, part of her was afraid of what she'd learn if she dared to seek out her past.

Tooth nodded. "From when you were young, before you were Jacquelyn Frost. You really don't remember?"

Jacquelyn shook her head. "My earliest memory is being taken out of a frozen pond outside of Burgess," she confessed. "I didn't know who I was or what I was meant to do. The Moon told me next to nothing."

Sandy looked sympathetic as he placed a hand on Jacquelyn's shoulder. _**We'll get you your memories, Jacquelyn. I promise**_**, **he wrote with his Dreamsand.

Suddenly, Tooth gasped as the mural began to disintegrate and she lost more of her colors and feathers.

"We're too late," said Tooth, tearfully. "The children…"

"No!" said North, loudly. "No such thing as too late! It's _not _too late! I don't believe that! We can figure out a solution! Just let me think!"

"Wait, North, I've got it. What if we collected the teeth?" suggested Nightstar. "If we all worked together, got the teeth and left presents behind, we could restore the kids' faith in Tooth! She'll be believed in and it'll help us stop Pitch."

_**Nightstar, that's a great idea! **_wrote Sandy, as Jacquelyn, North and Bunnymund nodded in agreement.

Tooth looked flabbergasted. "What?!" she exclaimed. "Six of us—seven, if you count Baby Tooth, collecting all those teeth? We're talking seven continents, _millions _of kids—"

"Give me a break, Tooth," interrupted Jacquelyn, grinning. "Do you know how many toys North delivers in one night? Or eggs the Kangaroo hides in one day? Or how many snow days and pranks Nightstar and I pull off in twenty-four hours? We can do this!" She had regained her usual confidence and was ready to do some good.

"And in return for your help, Jacquelyn," said North. "We'll get you back your memories."

Jacquelyn couldn't help but smile as she and Nightstar nodded.

"We're in," said Nightstar.


	4. Collecting Teeth and Losing Sandy

**Collecting Teeth and Losing Sandy**

And so, the Big Four with the help of Baby Tooth, Jacquelyn and Nightstar, began going all over the world collecting the teeth as quickly as possible. It was all very exciting and quite a lot of fun, and it soon became a race between them all to see who'd collect the most teeth.

"Hop to it, rabbit. We're five teeth ahead!" said Jacquelyn, as they zipped through Tokyo.

Bunnymund just laughed. "I'd tell you to stay out of my way. But really, what's the point? You won't be able to keep up anyway!"

"Is that a challenge, Cottontail?" teased Nightstar.

"Oh, you don't want to race a rabbit, mate," said Bunnymund, grinning.

"Okay, guys. Here's the challenge. Whoever fails to beat the Kangaroo has to make the others' favorite food for a week!" said Jacquelyn.

Everyone quickened their pace at this.

"A race?" said North, happily, as he popped in and out of multiple chimneys quicker than the blink of an eye. "This is going to be epic!"

Tooth kept getting caught up in the excitement of it all. She was flying around so fast that Baby Tooth could barely keep up. "Four bicuspids over there!" she said, pointing excitedly. "An incisor two blocks east! Is that a molar? They're everywhere! OW!"

The "ow" was due to Tooth accidentally flying into a billboard ad for toothpaste. She rubbed her jaw as Nightstar and Jacquelyn peered over the billboard to check on her.

"You okay, Tooth?" asked Jacquelyn.

"I'm fine. It's just been a really long time since I've been out in the field," said Tooth.

"How long is a long time?" asked Nightstar.

"Four hundred and forty years, give or take," admitted Tooth. She let out an excited squeal as she chased after another white tooth.

Jacquelyn and Nightstar glanced at Baby Tooth, who just shrugged.

Naturally, as the race to collect the teeth went on, quite a bit of pranks and cheating occurred too. Jacquelyn froze Bunnymund's feet to a kid's bedroom floor when he acted smug about collecting said kid's tooth before she did. Sandy collected two more teeth when North and Bunnymund tried to collect them at the same time which caused them to be stuck in Bunnymund's tunnel. Jacquelyn leapt into a kid's room and ended up falling through one of Bunnymund's tunnels.

When Bunnymund landed on a roof after collecting some teeth, Nightstar made the roof icy so he slid down and then Bunnymund found himself teleported to the coldest part of Antarctica. However, Nightstar lost the tooth when Sandy playfully swiped it from him when he wasn't looking. Finally, Bunnymund lit a fire in a fireplace just as North slid down it, causing the Jolly One to yelp so loudly believers heard him six blocks away.

Later, they all met up to show Tooth the fruits of their labors. Everyone's bags of teeth were huge and filled to the brim with teeth. Naturally, North's bag was the largest, but that didn't matter as they'd all beaten Bunnymund, which meant no one had to pay the bet.

"Wow, you guys collect teeth and leave gifts as fast as my fairies!" said Tooth, who was deeply impressed and grateful.

Bunnymund, Sandy and North's faces immediately fell as they realized they'd forgotten this.

Tooth's eyes widened. "You guys have been leaving gifts, right?"

"Mom and I did," said Nightstar.

Nightstar had hijacked a number of payphones and arcade games over the years and saved his own money from Tooth, which had led to quite the savings over the years. (Growing up, he _just knew _he needed to save it) He'd given half of it to Jacquelyn and they'd distributed it to the kids. Not only that, but they'd left a few rather unique gifts as well. Jacquelyn had left some tiny ice figurines that wouldn't break or melt and Nightstar had left tiny black gemstones that glittered like stars in the night.

Unfortunately, Sandy, Bunnymund and North hadn't left gifts and they ended up revisiting each child's house and leaving either a coin, Easter eggs or Christmas goodies behind for the children. It was the best part of the night.

They were unaware, however, that Onyx was watching them and was going to report their actions to Pitch.

XXX

Pitch sulked in his dark underground lair, which was just outside of Burgess and near Jacquelyn and Nightstar's favorite pond. The countless containers of teeth he'd stolen lay in enormous messy heaps like yesterday's trash, and hanging above him on the ceiling were cages containing Tooth's Mini-Fairies, who wanted desperately to be free.

Pitch was sulking in anger because none of the lights on his Globe were going out. Rather, they were glowing brighter than ever and a few new ones had even lit up and he couldn't explain why. He had the teeth and the fairies. Surely, that meant the battle would work in his favor?

"Why aren't the lights going on?" he muttered to himself.

Onyx then entered the room and told her master of what she'd seen. Needless to say, Pitch was far from pleased.

"_They're _collecting the teeth?" he repeated, angrily. "_My _son is helping those good-for-nothings?" Pitch stomped his foot in anger as he let out a snarl. He gave the now happily squeaking fairies a terrifying glare. "Be quiet or I'll stuff a pillow with the whole lot of you!"

Pitch was furious. Nightstar, _his son _was working to keep that annoying Tooth Fairy believed in and was _helping _the Guardians! He should've expected it, given how Jacquelyn had betrayed him and named the Sandman as their son's godfather. The boy was bound to be different than his father and not know how he should act as Pitch's son. But it was embarrassing beyond words to know that his own offspring was behaving so foolishly.

But still, Nightstar was young for an immortal and his heart could still be changed and perhaps even his love's as well. The thought of having Jacquelyn beside the Nightmare King as his Winter Queen and their son as the Dark Heir to the throne, brought a sickening smile to Pitch's face. Perhaps he could make this work in his favor if he was able to speak with them without so many…_distractions_.

Pitch formed Sandy's image in his hand with Nightmare Sand. "Fine. Have your last hurrah. For tomorrow, all your pathetic scrambling will be for nothing, and not only will I have my son take his rightful place as my heir, but I'll take my revenge for what you turned him into!"

He crushed Sandy's image into dust.

XXX

Meanwhile, Jacquelyn and Tooth had gotten ahead of the others and were in Jamie's room, quietly talking while taking Jamie's tooth as the little boy slept. Jacquelyn couldn't help but smile at the sled picture that hung on Jamie's wall.

"Left central incisor, knocked out in a freak sledding accident," said Tooth. She raised her eyes to meet Jacquelyn's. "I wonder how that could've happened, Jacquelyn?"

Jacquelyn chuckled and feigned ignorance. "Kids, huh? They're always looking for adventures and excitement."

"Something you know all too well," said Tooth. She smiled at the peacefully dreaming boy as she tucked his covers up closer. "This was always the part I liked best—seeing the kids. Why did I ever stop?"

Jacquelyn smiled again. She could see how much Tooth loved her job. With Tooth's work and the way she took care of her fairies, in some ways Tooth was a mother, just like Jacquelyn. "It's different, up close, isn't it?"

Tooth nodded. "Was it like that when you had Nightstar?"

"Yes. I've watched over Jamie's family since my first night as an immortal and I've played with kids for centuries, but everything changed when I had my son. Suddenly, I went from watching over kids while playing with them to having one to care for and protect. It gave me a new perspective," said Jacquelyn. "I think it made me stronger and helped me feel closer to the mortals because now I could understand things I didn't before."

Jacquelyn couldn't explain _why _she'd felt the need to watch over Jamie's family for three hundred years. It just seemed like the right thing to do and part of her felt connected to the Bennett family, even though she'd never been seen by them. And having a baby and raising her own child with Sandy had sometimes been difficult, but Jacquelyn was grateful for it as Sandy and Nightstar had given her the strength she needed to keep going after Pitch had left her heartbroken. They'd made her happier than she'd felt in years.

_If Sandy hadn't found me that night and done so much to help me raise Nightstar, I don't know where we'd be right now_. She made a mental note to thank Sandy yet again for all he'd done.

"I understand," said Tooth. "And I know it couldn't have been easy, especially after what you went through with Pitch, but and Sandy have done a wonderful job with raising Nightstar, Jackie. He's a happy, wonderful kid. You should be proud."

"Thanks. I am proud of him," said Jacquelyn. _And I know Sandy's proud of him too. He's been more of a dad to Nightstar than his birth father ever was. _

"And I want to thank you for being here. I wish I'd known about your memory. I would've helped you if I had," said Tooth.

"Yeah, well, let's take care of you first. Pitch's time will come," said Jacquelyn. She'd waited three hundred years for answers. What was a little while longer? As for Pitch, her former love he might've been, but Jacquelyn had long since moved on and no longer loved the Nightmare King. She'd fight him to the end if it meant the safety of her loved ones. Besides, though she lacked the courage to speak of it, her heart belonged to another now.

"Jacquelyn?" said Tooth.

"Yes?" said Jacquelyn.

"When all this is over, would like to visit me sometimes for a little girl chat?" asked Tooth. "I really do want to be friends."

Jacquelyn couldn't help but smile. "Sure. I'd love to."

Suddenly, a noise outside the window startled them. Sandy and Baby Tooth came in and then North tried and failed to squeeze through the window as Nightstar teleported in.

"Here you are!" said North. He grunted as he found himself stuck. "Nightstar, could you—?"

Nightstar just nodded and he snapped his fingers, teleporting North out of the window and into Jamie's bedroom.

"Thank you, Nightstar," said North.

"Shh!" hissed Jacquelyn, pointing to Jamie. "Keep your voice down you'll wake him up!"

"Oh, sorry," whispered North. He turned to Tooth. "How're you feeling, Toothy?"

Tooth smiled as she hovered a few feet in the air. She looked as pretty as ever. "Believed in."

"That's great," said Nightstar, smiling.

Bunnymund then popped in via his tunnels, and looked as grumpy as ever. "I knew it. You're all conspiring against me. Leave the rabbit in last place."

"Like _that's_ a big challenge, Bugs?" muttered Nightstar.

"I heard that!" said Bunnymund, shooting Nightstar a glare. He held up his enormous bag of teeth. "Look at this bag of choppers."

"Ours is bigger," said Jacquelyn, teasingly as she held up a much larger bag.

North then came in between them. "Everyone, everyone, please!" he interrupted. "This is about _Tooth_. This isn't a competition. But if it was—" he showed them his bag of teeth, which was the biggest one of all. "—then I win! YEEHAW!" North then danced around Jamie's room in a Russian jig; but immediately stopped when a light fell upon them.

Jacquelyn shook her head. _North, you lummox!_

Jamie had awakened and he was looking at them all as he aimed his flashlight at them. "Santa Claus?" he murmured. He moved his flashlight across the room. "The Easter Bunny? Sandman? The Tooth Fairy!" Jamie's face lit up when he saw her. "I _knew _you'd come!"

"Surprise!" said Tooth, pretending this was normal. "We came!"

"He can see us?" said Nightstar, sounding hopeful.

But Jamie's flashlight passed over Jacquelyn and Nightstar and was focused on Tooth. He didn't see Nightstar or Jacquelyn.

"Most of us," said Bunnymund.

"Shh!" said Tooth, warningly. "You guys, he's still awake."

"Sandy, knock him out!" suggested Bunnymund.

Sandy nodded and pounded a fist into his hand as Jamie stared in confusion.

"With the Dreamsand, you nitwit!" said Bunnymund, exasperated.

Everyone then froze as Abby, Jamie's pet greyhound, woke up from her nap and began growling at Bunnymund.

"Stop! That's the Easter Bunny! What're you doing, Abby? Down!" scolded Jamie.

"All right. Nobody panic," said Bunnymund, as he put down his tooth bag and kept eye contact with the dog.

"Uh, Bunny, you _do _realize that's a greyhound, don't you?" said Jacquelyn, enjoying this. "Do you know what greyhounds _do _to rabbits?"

Sandy obviously did, because he formed a large ball of dreamsand in his hands to knock out Jamie and the dog with.

"Well, it's pretty safe bet she's never met a rabbit like me," said Bunnymund. "Six foot-one, nerves of steel, master of Tai-Chi and the ancient art of—"

Bored, Jacquelyn and Nightstar did a round of rock-paper-scissors and when Nightstar won, he 'accidentally' hit a button on Jamie's alarm clock, which set the dog off. Bunnymund's eyes went wide as he ran around the room while Abby chased him.

"Crikey! She's rabid! Get this dingo off me!" yelped Bunnymund.

"Sit! Down, girl! Down!" said Jamie.

As Bunnymund was chased by Abby, Sandy fired his ball of Dreamsand, hoping it would hit the dog. But instead, the Dreamsand ball ricocheted off the bedroom walls and pictures and ended knocking out Tooth, Baby Tooth, Bunnymund, Abby and then North. North ended up falling backwards onto Jamie's bed and caused the boy to be catapulted into the air and into Sandy's arms, where the Sandman quickly put him to sleep.

"Whoops," said Nightstar. He feigned innocence at the look Sandy gave him. "What? It was an accident, Uncle Sandy."

Sandy just shook his head at his godson while looking somewhat amused. He then looked startled when something dark and shadowy flew past the window.

Jacquelyn peered out the window and she frowned. "Crud. That was a Nightmare. Pitch is near. We should go to protect the kids. But everyone _be careful!_" she said, before flying out the window.

Nightstar followed her as he called out to Sandy, who was hesitant. "Uncle Sandy, come on! We can find Pitch!"

Sandy glanced back at their sleeping friends and after deciding they'd be safe where they were, flew out the window with Jacquelyn and Nightstar.

XXX

While they were gone, Sophie, who'd been awoken by all the commotion, slipped into her brother's room.

She giggled at the sight of the sleeping Guardians as she reached into North's coat pocket, causing one of his snow globes to fall out.

"Pretty!" she said, as she picked up the snow globe. Her face lit up at the sight of Bunnymund, who lay curled up on the floor sound asleep with his head pillowed in his furry paws. "Bunny! Hop! Hop! Hop!" she said, joyfully.

As she hopped like a bunny, the snow globe shook and eggs from Bunnymund's Warren appeared in the snow globe. Sophie squealed in the delight, but then tripped over Abby's sleeping form, which caused the snow globe to slip out of her hands and hit the wall.

A portal to Bunnymund's Warren appeared, and Sophie being a very curious little girl, naturally went through it and disappeared.

By the time the other Guardians began to stir from their sleep, Sophie was already gone.

XXX

Jacquelyn, Nightstar and Sandy chased three Nightmares over the rooftops of Burgess.

True, Nightstar could've just taken control over them but the young family decided it was better to follow the evil creatures back to their master and have a little fun and bonding time in the process.

"Wahoo!" cheered Jacquelyn, as she flew through the skies. She chased one Nightmare away from a house and freeze it like an icicle just in time to see Sandy wrestling with the second one. The Nightmare was strong, but Sandy was stronger and with a powerful blast, Sandy changed the dark grit into golden Dreamsand. It then transformed into a golden stingray and Sandy rode it through the town.

Nightstar separated from his mother and godfather as he chased down the third one who was trying to escape. "Oh, no you don't," he muttered. He gave the Nightmare's shadow a good yank, forcing it back before he froze it into a solid mass.

"Yes!" he cheered. "Mom, Uncle Sandy, did you see that? Look at this thing." He nudged the frozen Nightmare with his foot before breaking it.

But it wasn't Jacquelyn or Sandy who appeared behind him. It was his father.

"Hello son," said Pitch. He was on the next door building's rooftop. "I see you're still playing hero with your mother and _godfather_." He said the last word as though it left a foul taste in his mouth. "You know, Nightstar, this really isn't your fight. My quarrel is with your mother and her pathetic little friends, not you. You needn't get caught in the crossfire of petty adult squabbles. And why fight your own kin?"

Nightstar's eyes darkened with anger. He may have been young, but he was grown and strong. "You made it my fight, _Father_," he spat angrily, "when you took Tooth's fairies and teeth and attacked my mother!"

Pitch squinted. "The teeth?" he repeated. "Why do you care about—ah!" Pitch actually looked startled when he heard a noise and saw Sandy and Jacquelyn were standing behind him looking ready for a fight. He quickly moved away from them and his demeanor changed immediately. "Now, _this _is who I'm looking for."

"Well, you found us," said Jacquelyn. She let out a war cry as she and Sandy attacked.

Jacquelyn fired at Pitch with her staff while Sandy tried to hit him with Dreamsand whips. Pitch managed to dodge every blow before retaliating with an enormous scythe made of Nightmare Sand. Jacquelyn and Sandy dodged Pitch's attacks before Sandy grabbed Pitch by the wrist with his Dreamsand whip and flung him into the air and pounding him. Jacquelyn then froze him in ice before Sandy sent the frozen Nightmare King into the street below.

"Whoa," said Nightstar, in awe. "Remind me never to get on your bad sides."

Sandy looked amused and Jacquelyn just laughed before they flew down into the street.

The battle was far from over yet. In Jacquelyn's haste, the ice hadn't been thick enough to avoid being broken when Sandy flung him onto the concrete, which allowed black sand to slither out of the broken ice and Pitch to reform himself. He lay on the ground looking frightened as he slowly stood up and tried to defend himself from his glaring opponents.

"Okay, easy!" said Pitch. "You can't blame me for trying, Sandy. You have everything! You have the love of my life, my son and believers! You don't know what it's like to be weak and hated. It was _stupid _of me to mess with your dreams."

"Oh, gee, you think?" said Jacquelyn, sarcastically. "And FYI, I am NOT the love of your life! You don't even know what love is, you scumbag."

Pitch ignored her as he stood up. "So, I'll tell you what, Sandy," he said. Instantly, the expression on Pitch's face changed from fearful to cold and angry. "You can have them back."

The neighing of horses startled them and within moments Jacquelyn, Nightstar and Sandy found themselves surrounded by countless Nightmares, all huge and black and ready to consume them.

"Uh…does anyone got a plan?" asked Nightstar, eyeing the Nightmare warily. He would try and take command of them, but could he really control so many Nightmares at one time? He was still getting used to that ability.

"Sandy, you take the ones on the left, I'll take the ones on the right," said Jacquelyn, looking more confident than she sounded. "Nightstar, control whichever ones you can." Her boys nodded as they prepared to fight.

Pitch just smirked evilly at them as he mounted Onyx. "Boo!" he said.

The Nightmares then attacked. Sandy fought them back with his Dreamsand whips and Jacquelyn blasted them with ice from her staff as Nightstar forced other Nightmares to destroy each other. As Jacquelyn and Sandy joined hands and took the skies, the cavalry arrived.

North, Tooth and Bunnymund, who'd awakened due to all the noise, had just flown in on North's sleigh in the nick of time. Bunnymund lashed out with his boomerangs and egg bombs. Tooth used her powerful wings to slice through the Nightmares. North managed to stand at the helm of the sleigh while tearing through the Nightmares with his swords.

After stopping the Nightmares on the ground, Nightstar went into the sky with the others. Like his mother, he froze many of them, but also used them against one another and teleported them into places he knew they'd never come back from. Before long, he got knocked out of the sky by a Nightmare, and landed on the skid of North's sleigh.

"You might want to duck," said Bunnymund, who was in the sleigh.

Nightstar didn't even hesitate. He ducked down just as Bunnymund flung a boomerang at a Nightmare that was behind him, disintegrating it. Nightstar shot him a grateful look before he looked scared at the sight of an enormous cloud of black sand that was threatening to swallow up Sandy and Jacquelyn. "We've got to help Uncle Sandy and my mother!" he yelled.

"Oh, crikey," muttered Bunnymund, when he saw it. "North, get up high, NOW!"

"Right away!" said North. "Hiyah!"

High above the others, Jacquelyn and Sandy were fighting for their lives.

They were surrounded on all sides by Pitch's Nightmare Sand and despite their valiant efforts, it was getting worse. Victory didn't seem to be in sight for them this time.

"Sandy, I know this isn't the best time, but there's something I need to tell you while I still have time," said Jacquelyn, as she blasted more Nightmare Sand. "I'm sorry for not being brave enough to tell

Sandy gave her a look and made a question mark with his Dreamsand.

"I love you," she confessed. "I truly, deeply love you Sandy."

For the briefest of moments, Sandy actually froze in his tracks before summoning enough power to drive back the Nightmare Sand just long enough for him to fly up a little higher and give Jacquelyn a passionate kiss that she returned.

_**I love you too, my Jacquelyn**_, he wrote with his Dreamsand, when they broke apart. _**Always have, always will. **_He'd been deeply love with her ever since that night a hundred and fifty years ago and had dreamed of the moment when she'd return his love and they'd confess their feelings for each other.

Happy tears glistened in Jacquelyn's eyes as she squeezed Sandy's hand in hers. They then resumed fighting and for a moment, they thought they might see victory, but then Sandy spotted Pitch aiming an arrow of black sand at Jacquelyn. Without thinking, Sandy knocked her out of the sky and the arrow hit Sandy in the back instead.

"NO!" yelled Jacquelyn and Nightstar in unison.

Mother and son then flew as fast they could to try and reach Sandy before it was too late while fighting off more Nightmare Sand and Nightmares in the process.

Pitch cackled evilly and loudly and looked very smug from where he stood on his cloud of Nightmare Sand. "Ha, ha, ha! Don't fight the fear, little man!" he said. "Did you really think I'd kill the woman I love, Sandy? No. I _knew_ you'd shove her out of the way and give me a clear shot at you! You brainless fool!"

Sandy made no reply of any kind. Though was being consumed by the Nightmare Sand rather quickly, Sandy didn't look the least bit regretful of his choice. No matter what anyone said, Sandy knew he'd done the right thing. Sandy had saved the woman he loved and done his best to protect Nightstar.

"I'd say 'sweet dreams' but there aren't any left," sneered Pitch.

Sandy shook his head. He then closed his eyes as a feeling of peace swept over him just as he was consumed by the Nightmare Sand.

When the cloud of black sand dispersed, there was nothing left. No Dreamsand and no Sandy. He was gone forevermore. Everyone was devastated and horrified, but none more so than Jacquelyn and Nightstar.

"NOOO!" screamed Nightstar. He managed to grab his mother's hand and they flew closer to Pitch, only to fall back when he sent in an enormous tidal wave of Nightmares and Nightmare Sand at them.

For a moment, it seemed like they were overtaken, but then something amazing happened. Power such as they'd never known before surged through them and suddenly all the Nightmare Sand turned into one enormous Nightmare which ate Pitch before enormous bright bursts of ice and snow shot out and froze every single grain of black sand. The force of it all caught Pitch by surprise and sent him falling, as the frozen cloud exploded like a bunch of fireworks.

The effort drained much of Jacquelyn and Nightstar's energy and caused them to be too tired to fly or teleport. Tooth flew up into the air and caught them just in time before placing them in the safety of North's sleigh.

"Jacquelyn, Nightstar, how did you guys do that?" asked Tooth.

Jacquelyn groaned as she slowly sat up. She'd never felt so drained in all her life. "I didn't know I _could_. And even then, it was mainly Nightstar."

"But _how_?" pressed Nightstar. He'd never once suspected himself capable of wielding such power. "I've never done anything like that before. I didn't even know I could!"

"You always could, son. You're a child of two powerful immortals. All you needed was incentive," explained Jacquelyn.

Tears came to Nightstar's eyes. "But it wasn't enough to save Dad," he said. It was the first time he'd referred to Sandy as such. The last twenty-four hours had caused him to realize Sandy's true role in his life and how much he truly cared for his father-figure. "Is he really gone?"

The devastated looks on everyone's faces and the grief-filled silence answered Nightstar's question and he ended up crying into his mother's shoulder as she held him and wept herself.


	5. Easter and Anarctica

**Easter and Antarctica **

Back at the Globe Room at the North Pole, everyone mourned the loss of Sandy.

A special vigil was held to honor him. There were candles surrounding his empty spot on the floor, Nightstar formed Sandy's image in the stars as a new constellation and Jacquelyn crafted an ice-sculpture of him that looked almost real, especially after she coated it with frost and painted it with North's special paints he'd loaned her.

During the vigil, everyone held hands and bowed their heads as they grieved. There were no dry eyes among them as they all deeply missed Sandy, especially Jacquelyn and Nightstar. Though Jacquelyn was trying to be strong for her son's sake and because Sandy would've wanted her to, her heart was broken. Jacquelyn had been deeply in love with Sandy for years but had never told him of her feelings before the fight as she didn't think Sandy reciprocated her feelings. She regretted not acting upon her feelings sooner.

Nightstar tried to be strong too, but he could barely restrain his tears. He wanted Sandy back more than anything. Sandy had been the only dad he'd ever known and having him gone hurt worse than anything. Nightstar blamed himself for Sandy's death and was also angry with himself for not being able to protect his family better.

Later that day, North found Nightstar sitting alone in a windowsill with his hood up looking depressed as he idly drew Sandy's image in the frosted pane. After spending time with his mother and the others, he'd asked to be left alone for a little while.

"Nightstar, are you all right?" asked North.

Nightstar shook his head. "No, I'm not all right. How can you even ask me that? I've found out I was fathered by a monster that used and lied to my mother, he killed my true dad and almost destroyed my mom as well because I was too afraid," he said, as fresh tears slid down his cheeks. "When I'm scared, I can't teleport properly. That's why I didn't just grab Sandy and my mom before. Because I was scared. Don't you get it, North? Sandy's death is _my_ fault. If I hadn't been afraid, I could've done something more to—"

"Done something?" interrupted North. "Nightstar, you stood up to Pitch. You saved us and your mother. You cannot blame yourself. You did what you could."

Nightstar bit his lip. "But Sandy—"

"Would be proud," interrupted North, again. "Do you know what he told me before you and your mother were brought to the Pole when MiM chose you?"

Nightstar shook his head.

"Sandy confided in me of how blessed he was to have been able to raise you alongside your mother. He loved you and was so proud to be able to be like a father to you," said North. "He would gladly lay down his life to protect you and your mother because you two made him happier than he'd ever been in his whole life."

"Really?" said Nightstar. _You really thought that, Sandy? _Nightstar had always known Sandy cared for him, but it eased his grief a little to hear what he'd told North.

"Really," said North, smiling. "Now, I may not know who your mother was in her past life or what your future may exactly entail, but you both are going to be great Guardians. I feel it in my belly. Sandy would say so too were he here."

Nightstar smiled a little as he drew back his hood and rose up from his seat. "Thanks, North."

The almost-peaceful moment was disrupted by the sound of Tooth's worried voice. Nightstar and North rejoined the others in the Globe Room and the situation was far from good. The lights on the Globe were going out quicker than a candle's flame.

"This isn't good. Look how fast the lights are going out," fretted Tooth.

Jacquelyn flew up to the top of the Globe and frowned as she examined it. "It's fear. Without Sandy and his Dreamsand, the balance has been tipped in Pitch's favor."

"So, then we'll just have to stop him by making it fall back in our favor," said Bunnymund. He wasn't about to let all the lights disappear. "Buck up, you sad sacks! We can still turn this around. Easter's tomorrow. I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and we stop all those little lights from going out!"

Energized, everyone agreed and followed North down to the toy factory along with two yetis and one of North's elves. "Bunny is right," said North. "As much as it pains me to say, old friend, this time Easter _is _more important than Christmas."

Bunnymund looked exceedingly happy and smug at this. "Did everyone hear that?" he said.

"We must hurry to the Warren. Everyone to the sleigh!" said North.

But Bunnymund stopped them before they reached the sleigh and he had a very smug look on his furry face. "Oh no, mate. My Warren, my rules. Buckle up." He thumped on the floor with one of his feet, causing an enormous hole to appear beneath them.

North had just enough time to exclaim, "_Shostakovich!_" before he joined in the others in sliding down a large tunnel that twisted and turned almost like a pretzel before they all finally landed inside Bunnymund's Warren.

"Welcome to the Warren," said Bunnymund, proudly as two of his Egg Golems smiled at them.

Despite being the Bringer of Winter, Jacquelyn couldn't help but admire the Warren's beauty. The Warren was incredibly stunning with its green grass, flowers of every shape, size and color, colored trees of flowers and leaves, enormous hills and mountains, sparkling streams and stone monuments.

She ceased her admirations, however, when she saw Bunnymund's ears twitch and his eyes narrowed as he sniffed the air.

"Something's up," he said, as dozens of white eggs ran over to them.

Immediately, everyone took defensive positions and ran for the tunnel before them, only to freeze in their tracks when Jamie Bennett's little sister Sophie emerged, carrying three squirming eggs and staring at them like they'd all gone crazy.

"_Sophie_?" said Nightstar, surprised, as they all quickly lost their defensive stances. "How'd Jamie's little sister get here?"

Sophie took no notice of them. Instead her face lit up as she dropped the eggs she was carrying and chased after North's elf. "Elf! Elf! Elf!" she squealed, delightedly.

"What is _she _doing _here_?" cried Bunnymund, horrified.

"I think I can guess. North, you left one of your snow globes where she could find it at Jamie's house while you were sleeping, didn't you?" said Jacquelyn, exasperated.

The guilty look on the Jolly One's face after he'd quickly searched his pockets answered Jacquelyn's question. Typical North.

"Crikey! Somebody do something!" said Bunnymund. For the first time, it seemed the rabbit didn't know what to do.

"Don't look at us. We're invisible, remember?" said Nightstar.

Tooth stepped in. "Don't worry, Bunny. I bet she's a fairy fan." She flew over to Sophie and the little girl was immediately captivated. "It's okay, little one."

"Pretty!" said Sophie, in awe.

Tooth smiled. "Aw! Aren't you cute? Here, I have something for you." She held out her hand and showed Sophie some of the teeth they'd collected. "Look at all the pretty teeth, with little blood and gum on them!"

Sophie just looked horrified and screamed before running away from Tooth.

Jacquelyn and Nightstar just chuckled.

"Blood and gums?" repeated Nightstar. "No offense, but when was the last time you three actually hung out with kids?"

"We're busy trying to bring joy to children. We don't have time…for children," said North, weakly. He seemed to realize the irony of his words as he was saying them.

"Obviously," said Jacquelyn, chuckling. _Could this be why MiM wanted us as Guardians, so we could help the others reconnect with the children? _"But seriously guys; taking a little time out of your busy schedules to play with kids, is worth it. Take it from someone who knows. All it takes is a little fun." She conjured up a tiny white shimmering snowflake and then blew the snowflake off her hand.

Sophie, who'd gotten over her scare rather quickly, had been chasing the eggs and butterflies, but when she spotted the snowflake, she chased after it instead. "Pretty! Whee!" She eagerly chased it until it landed on Bunnymund's nose. He instantly fell under her spell and his playful nature emerged.

He walked over to Sophie and led her over to some flowers that were blooming white eggs. "Hey, want to paint some eggs?"

Sophie eagerly nodded and then climbed into Bunnymund's arms as the preparations went forth. Suddenly, millions upon millions of eggs walked out of the many tunnels of Bunnymund's Warren and down the paths in between the flowerbeds.

"Sweet Polaris!" exclaimed Nightstar. "That's a lot of eggs."

"Uh, Bunny, how much time do we have?" asked Jacquelyn, concerned. How on earth were they going to get all the eggs colored before the Easter egg hunts?

But Bunnymund didn't reply as he was too busy playing with Sophie. He was running through the Warren, carrying Sophie on his head and looking positively happy about it as she squealed in delight. Fortunately, the eggs followed him and were colored by the flowers that painted them in many bright colors as they walked by.

"All right troops!" said Bunnymund. "It's time to push back! That means eggs _everywhere! _Heaps of you in every high-rise, farmhouse, and trailer park! In tennis shoes and cereal bowls! There will be bathtubs full with my beautiful googies! There will be springtime on every continent and I'm bringing hope with me!"

Before long, everyone was having fun with Easter's preparations. While leading some eggs to a stream to be colored, Nightstar accidentally knocked North's elf into the colored water, but the elf seemed to like being multicolored and took one of the eggs for its very own. Jacquelyn and the two yetis managed to paint a few dozen eggs in rather lovely designs. Baby Tooth even pressed her wings against some wet eggs, which created a beautiful pattern.

Bunnymund couldn't stop smiling and being cheerful, especially around Sophie. "Oh, what's over there?" he said to the little girl.

Sophie's face lit up with delight when she saw a rather beautiful Easter egg walking towards her. She picked it up and hugged it to her chest after showing it to Bunnymund. "Pretty!"

"Ah, that's a beauty!" said Bunnymund, smiling. He took Sophie's hand and led her to the entrance of the tunnels that went up to every continent in the world. "Now, all we got to do is get him and his little mates through the tunnels, to the top and we'll have ourselves Easter."

He then sat with Sophie as she curled up in his arms and went to sleep. It brought a smile to his face as Jacquelyn came up and sat beside him.

"Hey," she said. "Not bad, Bunny."

"Not too bad yourself, Frostbite," said Bunnymund. "I hate to admit, but you were right. Spending a little time with kids _is _worth it."

Jacquelyn smiled. "Well, you're a natural at it, you big softie."

Bunnymund chuckled.

"Um, Bunny, look…about the kangaroo and tribble thing before, I'm sorry," said Jacquelyn.

"It's okay. I'm sorry for what I said too. It was out of line," said Bunnymund. "Your boy's right. The rest of us do have believers, but you're pretty lucky, Frostbite. You've got a kid who'll never stop believing in you and who'd go to the ends of the earth for you. You and Sandy did well. And the others and I might never have that."

"Thanks. But honestly, sometimes I wonder _why _I was blessed with Nightstar in the first place," she admitted. Jacquelyn had fallen in love with _Pitch Black _and was fooled by him for half a century and not always that responsible. So, why had she been blessed with her own child?

"I can explain that. Do you know why kids born to our kind are so rare?" asked Bunnymund. When she shook her head, he continued. "It's not just because of their powers, but because Manny wants to make sure they're both to the right folks at the right time."

Jacquelyn was quiet as she contemplated this. Was Bunnymund right? Was that why Nightstar had been born to her when he had? Perhaps. "Thanks, Bunny," she said.

"And speaking of your boy, I had an interesting conversation with him earlier," said Bunnymund. He gave her a look. "Easter Sunday 1968 wasn't your fault, was it, Frostbite? He did it on accident, but you took the blame. Care to explain?"

Jacquelyn looked sheepish while making a mental note to ground Nightstar for the next century and a half. "Okay, fine. I admit it. I didn't do it," she admitted. "But it really was an accident. 1968, Nightstar had been sick with the Immortal Flu for the past two days and his fever spiked up while I was making him soup and Sandy was just returning home from his rounds. According to him, he thought he saw one of Pitch's monsters in the room and tried to use the powers he inherited from me to protect us. But he ended up making a blizzard instead. When Sandy and I realized what was happening, Sandy knocked him out and I tried to repair the damage but it had been done."

Bunnymund couldn't believe what he was hearing. All this time, he'd thought Jacquelyn Frost had created a blizzard on his holiday just because of her mischievous nature, when it turned out she hadn't done anything wrong at all. Even Nightstar wasn't entirely to blame, because he was ill and thought he was protecting his family from Pitch's goons.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked, finally. "Heck, why didn't Nightstar tell me before now?"

"He didn't even know until he got better a few days later and even then, I wouldn't let him say anything. And at the time, I didn't see how I could tell you. You were so mad and unwilling to listen, and we barely got along back then. I guess I just thought if I took the blame rather than Nightstar, it'd be easier on everyone. I was just trying to protect my kid," said Jacquelyn. "Don't be mad at him."

"I was a little, but not anymore," said Bunnymund. Guilt and shame gnawed at him. Looking back, he realized he hadn't even given Jacquelyn a chance to explain back then. He'd just assumed she'd done it and given her the berating of her life. "Sorry, Jacquelyn."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It's in the past," said Jacquelyn. She was over it.

Just then, Nightstar, North and Tooth joined them and knelt down to look at Sophie, who was sound asleep in Bunnymund's arms and looked adorable.

"Oh, she's too cute," said Tooth, smiling. "I think she really likes you, Bunny."

"Yeah, well, what kid doesn't it?" said Bunnymund. He wouldn't admit it, but he had a soft spot for kids Sophie's age. "Look at her. Poor little ankle biter tuckered herself out."

"Kids do that at her age. I know I did," said Nightstar, smiling.

"Much as I love this, I think it time to get her home," said North, gently.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I can take her," offered Nightstar. "Can I, Mom?"

Jacquelyn hesitated, as did the others. "I don't know. We might need you here, son."

"Come on, Mom. Please? I can teleport quicker than you or Tooth can fly or Bunny's tunnels," he pointed out. "I'll keep Sophie safe and be quick as a bunny."

Jacquelyn hesitated again before sighing. "Okay. Fine. But you take Baby Tooth with you and at first sign of trouble, you teleport straight back here, deal?"

"Deal," said Nightstar.

Jacquelyn then put down her staff and tightly hugged her son. "Promise me you'll be careful and come back safely. I love you."

"I promise. I love you too," said Nightstar, as he returned the embrace.

When they broke apart, Nightstar took Sophie from Bunnymund and carefully cradled her in his arms so she wouldn't wake up. Though she couldn't see him, her very young age and innocence allowed him to touch her.

Once Sophie was safe in his arms and Baby Tooth snuggled up in his hoodie, Nightstar teleported away from the Warren and into Burgess.

XXX

It didn't take long to reach Sophie's house and once he did, Nightstar tucked Sophie into bed with a large, warm blanket and one of her favorite toys. It took a little while to tuck her in due to the fact that Sophie had a tight grip on him in her sleep. It was rather cute, but also delayed him a little bit.

Knowing he needed to get back, Nightstar went out the window, shut and locked it and then turned to Baby Tooth. "We should head back," he said.

Baby Tooth squeaked in agreement.

"Nightstar!"

Nightstar looked up in surprise. "Mom?" he whispered. The voice was definitely his mother's, but she was nowhere in sight and the voice sounded slightly younger and like an echo.

Then a second voice called out, "Jacquelyn! Jackie!"

"Wait, that second voice, I know it. How do I know it?" murmured Nightstar. It felt familiar to him, just like Jamie and his family.

Ignoring Baby Tooth's protesting squeaks, Nightstar rode the wind as he followed the voices into the woods of Burgess. The voices grew louder as he came upon an old broken bedframe on the forest floor.

Baby Tooth's frantic squeaks grew louder and sounded more scared as she tugged on the hood of Nightstar's hoodie. She was trying to get him to leave, but he wouldn't.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be scared," said Nightstar, soothingly. "We're going to be fine. Do you want me to teleport you back?"

Baby Tooth squeaked again, saying she didn't want to leave without him. She'd grown rather attached to him since Tooth Palace.

"Okay, then. Get in my hoodie and keep quiet. I'll keep you safe. Don't worry," said Nightstar. He had the feeling something was amiss, but he couldn't bring himself to ignore what was happening before him. He _needed _to investigate.

Baby Tooth sighed before making herself comfortable in the pocket of Nightstar's hoodie.

Nightstar approached the broken bedframe and moved it. There was a medium-sized hole beneath it and it was just large enough for him to go through. Deciding to take a leap of faith, Nightstar jumped down the hole.

When he reached the tunnel's end, he was shocked by what he saw. Inside the dark hole in the ground, were the dozens of cages containing Tooth's fairies and the containers of missing teeth. This was Pitch's lair. He'd found it!

"Whoa," he whispered. "I can't believe it." _So, this is how Pitch lives. Why am I not surprised? _It was gloomy, dark and hideous, just like him.

Upon seeing him, Tooth's Mini-Fairies squeaked and chirped in delight.

"Shh! Keep it down!" hissed Nightstar. He glanced around to make sure Pitch and the Nightmares weren't around. "I'm going to get you guys out, but you need to be quiet!" He had to work quickly. The voices sounded closer than ever.

Thankfully, the fairies obeyed him and after he'd quickly unlocked and opened all the cages, Nightstar teleported them all, except for Baby Tooth who refused to leave him, back to the Tooth Palace. He then began rummaging through the teeth containers, looking for his and his mother's. After finding his, he pocketed it, but after a frantic search, Nightstar was unable to locate his mother's.

"Looking for something, son?" said Pitch.

Nightstar leapt into action at once. As soon as he spotted Pitch's shadow, he gave it a hard yank and pinned the Boogeyman to the floor.

Pitch just chuckled as he slipped out from Nightstar's grasp. "Really, son, there's no need for such mindless behavior. If I wanted to fight, we'd be fighting right now," he said. "You needn't be afraid. I have no reason to hurt you. You're my son."

"Don't call me that," snarled Nightstar. "And I'm _not _afraid of you."

"Maybe not," said Pitch, as he walked around the lair. "But you _are _afraid of something."

"I _know _so. I _always _know people's greatest fears, mortal or not," said Pitch, smiling. "And you share one of your mother's fears, son. You both fear no one will ever believe in you." He chuckled evilly as he disappeared into the shadows again. "And worse of all, you both fear you'll never know _why_. Why you and your mother? Why were you chosen to be like this?"

"Shut up," muttered Nightstar. He tried to teleport away with Baby Tooth, but because of the fear he felt, Nightstar couldn't even move.

"And you also fear that your mother will never know the truth of her past and might grow dissatisfied looking after you and go off in search of them, leaving you behind," said Pitch. "And you fear the real reason she and Sandy went to such lengths to protect you and take care of you and ask Father Time about your future was because they believed you'd be just like me. Evil and a monster."

"SHUT UP!" yelled Nightstar, as he began trying to either freeze Pitch or grab his shadow. He failed at both.

_He's lying, he's lying, he's lying! I don't fear that. Mother wouldn't leave me to get answers to her past. She and Sandy never believed I'd become Pitch. Sandy loved me. Mom loves me. That's the only reason they did what they did for me. _But even as Nightstar thought about it, he realized he didn't know what questions his mother had asked Father Time at his birth. Was it truly possible that Pitch was right about why Father Time had been there and why they'd been so protective of him growing up?

Pitch then appeared before Nightstar as he backed into the wall. "But fear not, son. I can quell part of your fears. Your mother needn't go looking for answers. They're right here." Pitch held up a box of teeth with his mother's name and image on it. "Do you want them, Nightstar? Do you want to give your mother the key to her past?"

Nightstar reached out, but then hesitated as he realized how this might look to his mother. He was late in returning to her and the others and suddenly had his memories and hers? What would they all think? They'd think he'd done something bad with Pitch.

_I can't think like that. Once I explain things, Mother will understand_, he assured himself. He'd done good, hadn't he? He'd found Pitch's lair and freed Tooth's fairies. Deciding the pros outweighed the cons, Nightstar swiped the tooth box from Pitch before the Nightmare King slipped away again, cackling.

Nightstar quickly followed the sound of Pitch's laugher, trying to find him while keeping his guard up just in case.

"You never told your mother, did you, son?" said Pitch. "You never told her how you'd dream of finding me or that you imagined I was merely away on some important quest and would return to you in glory. You never told her that when you were little, you thought Sandy might be your real father. And you never told her how much it hurt to find out you're _my _son and the hurt you felt when you found out she'd lied to you all these years. Or how with this new knowledge of your father's identity; you wonder if she and Sandy truly trusted you and only kept you out of duty to and not actual love."

"Shut up! She never lied to me!" yelled Nightstar. But he didn't deny Pitch's other statement about his childhood dreams of his birth father. He'd never told Jacquelyn or Sandy about those fantasies because he didn't want to hurt them. "And she loves me as much as Sandy did!"

"But that's not all she kept from you. She never told you how much she loved me and the life we planned together before she betrayed me. You know, she betrayed and lied to us both. She imprisoned me after all I did for her and kept you hidden from me while she lied to you and kept me a secret from you. She's always claimed to have your best interests at heart, but that doesn't sound like a good and loving mother to me," said Pitch, ignoring him. "And you admired Sandy so much, yet he also lied to you about your parentage simply because _she _asked him to and because he was too afraid to tell you the truth. Sounds like a poor excuse for a father-figure if you ask me."

Nightstar scoffed. "Well, no one did," he snarled. "And who're you to judge them? You terrorized children for centuries, you had my mother's love and you broke her heart, and then you took Sandy from me! And look at what you're doing now! You're trying to get me to join you in your life of fear and hatred! Well, as I told you before back at the Tooth Palace, I'll _never _be your heir!" No matter what he feared, no matter what Jacquelyn and Sandy had done, it didn't change the fact that Nightstar had grown up loved and happy for a hundred and fifty years. He was better off without Pitch.

Pitch smirked evilly again. "I'm not finished yet. Like your mother, dear old Lynn, you wonder why you ended up as you did. Unseen. Unable to reach out to anyone, especially your favorite mortal children. Even now, you want to just take off with those teeth and find the answers. But you're afraid of what Lynn and the Guardians will think. You're afraid of disappointing them. Well, let me ease your mind about one thing, Nightstar. They'll _never _accept you or Lynn, not really."

Nightstar backed into his father's Globe in fear as power surged through his hands. "STOP IT! STOP IT!" he yelled. Nightstar hated to admit it, but his father was right. Everything Pitch had just said was true and he couldn't deny it.

Pitch then emerged from the shadows and looked quite smug. "After all, neither of you are one of them. Lynn was fool enough to love _me _and you're _my _son. You're both tainted. But it doesn't have to be that way, son. You can still join me."

"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I AM!" yelled Nightstar. Pitch may have been his father, but he knew nothing about his son.

Pitch laughed again. "On the contrary, I know everything there is to know about you. You're Nightstar Frost, the child born to me and Jacquelyn Frost. You're the one who guides stars and mortals and loses himself in the dark. You're the one who hangs out with April Fools and causes mischief and trouble and messes things up. You're doing it right now."

Cold dread settled in Nightstar's stomach. "What did you do?"

"More to point, what did _you _do?" asked Pitch, before disappearing again. "Happy Easter, son!"

Angry and ready for a fight, Nightstar tried to lash out at Pitch as he disappeared into the tunnel, but he vanished and somehow Nightstar found himself in one of Bunnymund's tunnels. He yelled out in anger, cursing his stupidity and foolishness.

_How could I have been so stupid? It was a trap and I fell for it like a moth to the flame! What was I thinking? I could've gotten myself and Baby Tooth…_Nightstar's eyes widened as he remembered the Mini-Fairy.

"Baby Tooth!"

Nightstar reached into his pocket and to his relief, Baby Tooth was still there. "Baby Tooth, you okay?" he asked, as he stroked her feathers.

Baby Tooth nodded. She was trembling with fear, but she was safe and unharmed. As Nightstar stroked her, she stopped shaking and ended up sitting in his hood, curled up by his neck. Her feathers tickled him, but he didn't mind. It meant she was okay.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Baby Tooth just squeaked to him that it was okay. He'd freed the other fairies and knew what mistakes he'd made. It was okay. But she then looked fearful and worried again when she saw what was before him, and Nightstar looked equally horrified.

In Bunnymund's tunnels were countless broken eggs and destroyed Egg Golems, there were bits of black sand everywhere and something even worse lay at Nightstar's feet. Nightstar's heart stopped when he picked up his mother's staff, which lay broken in two.

"No," he gasped, horrified. "Mom…"

Praying that he wasn't too late, Nightstar shoved the broken staff under his arm and took off for Burgess to find the others.

XXX

When Nightstar arrived, he was met with a heartbreaking sight.

No eggs were found by the kids in the park and when Bunnymund tried desperately to mend the situation with his only basket of eggs, the kids just walked through him. They no longer believed in the Easter Bunny. Bunnymund looked devastated and a few tears escaped him.

"Nightstar!" said North, catching the boy's attention. He looked exhausted. His red coat was stained and tattered and he was using one of his swords for a walking stick. "Where were you? We thought Pitch had you, but then the Mini-Fairies came and said you'd found and freed them. Why didn't you come back at once? We needed you."

"I…I…" Nightstar found himself at a loss for words. "I ran into Pitch and—"

"Pitch?" interrupted Tooth, as she flew over to them. She looked angry. "Your father? Nightstar, what were you doing with him?"

Nightstar told them what had happened with Pitch and disregarding how much it hurt, he left out nothing. Baby Tooth backed him up and confirmed what he said, for although she'd been hidden in his pocket during the confrontation, she'd heard everything. When he'd finished, North and Tooth looked both distressed and sympathetic.

"Guys, I'm so sorry for everything. I was a fool. I know this is all my fault, and I hate to ask this, but what happened to my mother? Where is she?" asked Nightstar, dreading the answer.

North sighed and looked even sadder. "When the Nightmares attacked and after they'd destroyed everything before we could get out of the tunnels, your mother was told you'd been captured. They'd only take her to you if she gave them her staff."

"No…" gasped Nightstar, as tears came to his eyes. _Mom, you gave up your staff for me? _He couldn't believe she'd done that. He wasn't worth it! "And then they broke it?"

Tooth nodded sadly. "As soon as they took it, she was swallowed up by the Nightmares. We heard her scream and then the sound of the staff breaking. We tried to help her, but she disappeared before we could do anything. I'm so sorry, Nightstar."

Nightstar shook his head. "No, don't be. It's not your fault, it's mine. I was too darn curious for my own good. If I'd just gone back when I had the chance, none of this would've happened. I was an idiot. I should've been there!"

"You're darn right you should've!" yelled Bunnymund. He looked furious and sad as he hopped over to them. "You said you'd be right back. You weren't. You were gone when we needed you! Look what's happened."

"Bunny, I…"

"Easter is about new beginnings and hope," continued Bunnymund, as tears slid down his furry cheeks. "And now it's gone, because of you and your mum. We never should've trusted either one of you. She left us for you because of your father! You need to go, Nightshade. You don't belong here. Go back into the dark with your father."

Nightstar tried not to show just how much Bunnymund's words hurt as he clenched his hand into a fist. He knew Bunnymund was just upset over the loss of Easter and finally knowing what it was like to be invisible and un-believed in, but it didn't mean what he wasn't right. Everything was just like Pitch had said. He didn't belong there and the Guardians didn't need him.

Reaching into his pocket, Nightstar pulled out the tiny wooden nesting doll North had given to him at the workshop. Without another word, Nightstar tossed it to North and then took off with Baby Tooth, who followed him. He had to find Jacquelyn before it was too late.

XXX

Nightstar and Baby Tooth's search for Jacquelyn took them all over the world.

Despite their efforts, they found nothing and worse, without believers Baby Tooth could barely fly and she had to ride in Nightstar's hoodie. Eventually, they came to Antarctica as it was the last place they had to look.

Nightstar ran on top of a large iceberg and looked across the frozen wasteland. He'd sometimes come here during the summer with Jacquelyn and Sandy to play during his youth. It seemed logical he might find her there, but he'd thought that of other places as well and they'd all failed him.

"Mom, where are you?" whispered Nightstar. Even the Wind had been unsuccessful in finding her. Where could she be? What had Pitch done with her?

"I thought this might happen," said Pitch.

Nightstar spun around and saw Pitch behind him, looking sympathetic.

Baby Tooth squeaked in fear as she hid herself deeper in Nightstar's hoodie.

"This is all your fault!" spat Nightstar. "You ruined Easter and destroyed the Guardians! You made them hate me!"

Pitch shook his head. "I did nothing but show you the truth. You can't blame me for that. _They're _the ones who abandoned you, not me. I'm only trying to protect you and show you that I understand."

Rage flowed through Nightstar as he lashed out at Pitch, but the Boogeyman dodged the blow. "You don't understand anything!" he snarled, as he blasted Pitch again.

"No?" said Pitch, as he blocked Nightstar's blows with his Nightmare Sand. "I don't know what it's like to feel alone? To be cast out and not be believed in? To long for answers and want a family?"

Nightstar just yelled and blasted Pitch again, and this time the ice and Nightmare Sand formed together into something incredible. But Nightstar took notice of this as he saw the distraught look on his father's face and found himself ceasing his attacks.

"Nightstar, listen to me," said Pitch, pleadingly. "All those years in the shadows, I thought no one else knew what that felt like. But then I found Lynn, your mother, and I saw that I was wrong. Lynn was so beautiful, talented and wonderful and she knew what it was like. I found a kindred spirit in her and I loved her so very much. I love her still. I knew we were meant for great things and as long as we were together, neither of us would have to know what that was like ever again. You're proof that what we had was real. When I found out about you, I realized everything I'd ever wanted was possible and what I had with your mother was real."

Nightstar's blood ran cold as he slowly backed up, but he kept his eyes on his father.

"We don't have to fight each other or be alone, son," said Pitch. "You and I, we're exactly the same. We're _family_. I love you. You're my son. I'd never lie to you. I just want to be the father you deserve and take care of you like I should've been able to. I believe in you, and I know children will too."

Nightstar's breath caught in his throat. "In me?" he said. He couldn't help but imagine what that would be like, to be believed in like the Guardians, to be seen and heard and actually noticed.

"Yes!" said Pitch, excitedly. He beckoned to the white frost and black sand covering the iceberg. "Just _look _at what we can do. What goes better than father and son, cold and dark, working together as one? We can make them believe. We can give them a world where everything is—"

"Pitch-black?" interrupted Nightstar, coldly.

"And Nightstar, too," said Pitch, quickly. "They'll believe in _both _of us."

Anger raged through Nightstar. "No, they'll _fear _both of us, you lying, self-centered _scumbag!_ You don't care about me! You only care about yourself and I'd rather die than join you!" he yelled. "And you may have created me, but you're _not _my father! Sandy's my _real _father! Now, enough of this! What did you do to my mother and where is she? Give her back to me or I swear on Sandy's grave, I'll make you! GIVE HER TO ME AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Pitch's face became cold angry. "You want your mother so badly? _Fine_. She's right here." He snapped his fingers and then Jacquelyn appeared, bound and gagged in Nightmare Sand. She was injured and her frosted blue eyes held a mixture of relief and fear.

"Mom!" cried Nightstar.

He ran towards her, but Pitch stopped him.

"Not so fast, Nightstar!" growled Pitch, as he tightened the Nightmare Sand around Jacquelyn. "Your mother was fool enough not to join me and return my feelings when she had the chance, and she paid the price for it with the breaking of her staff. Are you going to make her pay yet again, this time for your own mistake?"

"What do you want?" demanded Nightstar.

"Your medallion. Hand it over," said Pitch. "You have a very naughty habit of interfering, just like your mother. So, hand it over and I'll let Lynn go. If you don't, she'll join Sandy."

Nightstar hesitated when Jacquelyn frantically shook her head, but he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He yanked the medallion off his neck and tossed it to Pitch, who caught it in his hand.

"I did what you wanted. Now, let her go," said Nightstar.

Pitch just shook his head. "No. You said you wanted to be alone, so be alone. If I can't have you and Lynn on my side, then no one ever will." He formed a knife out of Nightmare Sand, but before he could act, Baby Tooth summoned up enough courage and strength to fly to Pitch's hand and stab with her pointed nose.

Pitch yelped in pain before grabbed the fairy and flinging both her and Jacquelyn into an ice canyon. He then broke Nightstar's medallion in two.

Nightstar doubled over in pain before he was knocked down into the canyon with Jacquelyn and Baby Tooth and his broken medallion and his mother's staff.

Ignoring the aches he felt, Nightstar crawled over to Jacquelyn and Baby Tooth, who lay in a corner of the deep canyon. Baby Tooth was unharmed, but she could no longer fly and she took shelter inside Nightstar's hoodie again for warmth. Jacquelyn, however, was bruised and cut and she lay out cold on the icy canyon floor.

"Mom? Mama, please wake up," begged Nightstar, as he gently shook her.

Much to his relief, she stirred and her eyes fluttered open. "Nightstar?" she whispered.

Nightstar heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm here, Mom."

Jacquelyn immediately wrapped her arms around him. "Thank goodness you're okay. I was so afraid I'd lost you," she murmured, as tears slid down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Mother," said Nightstar, as his voice cracked. "Easter's ruined because of me, Baby Tooth can't fly anymore and now we're both powerless. Pitch was right. I make a mess of everything."

"No, no, no, no, sweetie. That's not true," said Jacquelyn. She pulled away and cupped his face in her hands. "You don't make a mess of everything. You do the exact opposite. How many mortals would be lost at night if it wasn't for your work with the stars? You bring light and joy to everyone's lives, especially mine. You were the reason I was able to leave Pitch. I left him because I wanted to make a good and happy life for you and because you became my world. Because of you, I left, I found Sandy and my life's been infinitely happier. I am so, so proud of the man you've become. You're everything Sandy and I had ever hoped you'd be and more. You gave a purpose, son."

Nightstar smiled at this. "Thanks, Mom. But you know, I wouldn't be what I am if it weren't for you and Sandy. You looked after me, protected me, taught me so much, had fun with me and I always felt loved. I get now why you didn't tell me about Pitch before. But honestly, it doesn't matter. Sandy was my real dad, not him. And I am so, so proud to call myself yours and Sandy's."

Happy tears glistened in Jacquelyn's eyes as she hugged him again. "I love you, so much. Sandy would say the same if he were here."

"I feel the same," said Nightstar.

For a few moments, they just sat there together curled up beside one another, resting and trying to figure what to do now.

Suddenly, Nightstar's hoodie pocket glowed and Baby Tooth crawled out, squeaking.

"Nightstar, what on earth—?" asked Jacquelyn.

Nightstar pulled out the teeth containers. "I found Pitch's lair and took these," he explained. "They're our memories."

Jacquelyn's eyes widened and she looked startled when she heard a voice emitting from her teeth box say her name. "How do I know that voice?" she whispered to herself.

"Maybe we should take a look and see," said Nightstar. He was scared just like her, but he was even more curious. Tooth had said the memories were for reminding their owners of important things when needed most. Perhaps this was that time.

Baby Tooth nodded and squeaked in agreement.

With some hesitation, mother and son touched the large blue diamond in the center of their teeth containers and were whisked away into the past.

**(Nightstar's memories)**

_Jacquelyn Frost lay on her bed in Sandy's house, looking tired but immensely happy as she held her infant son in her arms. Her baby was tiny and pink with tufts of dark hair and his mother's eyes. He was making little baby noises as he tried to play with Jacquelyn's necklace._

_Sandy and Father Time watched the moment with smiles on their faces._

"_I can't believe after so many months of waiting, he's finally here. My little boy. He's perfect," murmured Jacquelyn as she tenderly kissed her son's head._

_**He's beautiful. What will you name him? **__asked Sandy, with his Dreamsand. _

"_His name is Nightstar," said Jacquelyn. "Because he shines like a star in the darkness."_

_Sandy's smile grew at this._

"_Sandy, I've been meaning to ask. Will you be Nightstar's godfather?" asked Jacquelyn. "After everything you've done, I can think of no one better for the job."_

_Sandy looked overjoyed as he eagerly nodded. __**It would be my honor**_, _he wrote. He then began making the baby laugh by creating tiny owls out of his Dreamsand._

"_This is truly a momentous occasion," said Father Time, softly. "But Miss Frost, if you wish for answers to the questions you seek, then you must ask, for I cannot linger for much longer."_

"_Yes, yes, of course. My apologies, Father Time," said Jacquelyn. "I…I want to know if Nightstar's going to be okay when he grows up. I know next to nothing about being a mother and I don't want to mess that up. I want to be the kind of mother that he'll always love and be proud of. I want him to grow up happy and loved and not be alone like I was. And I don't want him to know his father's life, always being feared and hated. Please, tell me of my son's future."_

_Father Time smiled softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You needn't worry, Miss Frost. You will be a good mother to this child. Your son's life shall not be like that of his father's nor shall he be his father's son. He will be more like you when he grows up. He will become his own man. Your child has a great destiny ahead of him. He will grow up a happy young man, loved and cherished by his family and friends. And he will find a truer father in Sandy than he ever could in Pitch. MiM guided Sandy to you for a reason. Believe in that and all will be well, I promise."_

_Sandy looked relieved and Jacquelyn looked happy. _

"_Thank you," said Jacquelyn. "Thank you so much. Both of you, thank you."_

_Sandy and Father Time just smiled again as they nodded. "You're Welcome."_

"_Did you hear that, sweetie?" said Jacquelyn, to her baby. "Your life's going to be absolutely wonderful. You know why? Because Sandy and I will never leave you and you'll always be loved. And I will always be so proud to call you mine."_

_Nightstar squealed and cooed in delight._

The memory then ended and Nightstar found himself back with his mother and Baby Tooth. He then realized that his cheeks were wet with tears. He'd always known his mother loved him, but until that moment, he'd never realized just how much she loved him. She'd asked to know his future not because she was afraid he'd become his father, but because she wanted to know if she could be a good mother and he wouldn't know what it was like to be feared and hated like Pitch. She was trying to secure his happiness.

He then recalled other times when he'd helped and guided young kids when he was still very young and coming into his powers. Everything he'd done was because of what he'd learned from his mother and Sandy's examples. He was nothing like Pitch. He was a Guardian.

Nightstar turned and saw his mother still in the middle of her memories. He wonder what she was seeing in her past.

**(Jacquelyn's memories)**

_It was the eighteenth century, a brisk yet beautiful winter time as Jacquelyn Olivia Frostland and her younger sister Pippa, played together in their little village of Burgess. _

_Jacquelyn Frost, in her youth was quite beautiful with her chocolate brown eyes and mahogany brown locks, but she was an enormous kid at heart and rather than spending her time looking for suitor, she looked after her sister. She entertained Pippa and his friends with silly tricks and laughter, for there was little she loved more than her little sister._

_Pippa, with her sparkling brown eyes, pretty brown hair, and charming smile, was the center of Jacquelyn's world. She was very playful and sweet. She was everyone's favorite little girl, and it was no wonder. She was very sweet, obedient, and the kindest soul you'd ever meet. She looked up to her older sister and deeply loved Jacquelyn. She called Jacquelyn "Jackie" when she had trouble pronouncing her sister's name._

_One winter's day, the two went out with ice skates onto the frozen pond near their home. Pippa was really looking forward to it, as ice-skating was a special winter tradition she shared with his sister. They always had such enormous fun together. But alas, this time, their time of delight turned to one of despair._

_Pippa found herself frozen in place as ice began to crack from underneath her. "Jackie, I'm scared!" she said, looking terrified._

_Jacquelyn was scared too, but she concealed it for her sister's sake. She'd taken her skates off and was kneeling on one knee to maintain some balance on the ice. "I know, but you don't have to be. Don't look down, just look at me. You're going to be alright. You're not going to fall in."_

"_Promise?" asked Pippa._

"_Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a snowball in my eye," promised Jacquelyn. "You're not going to fall in, Pippa. We're going to have a little fun instead."_

"_No, we're not!" cried Pippa. "This is a trick!"_

"_Would I trick you?"_

"_Yes. You always play tricks!"_

_Jacquelyn laughed. "Well, not this time. You have to believe in me, just like I believed in you when you learned how to swim last summer. Remember? I believed in you and everything was okay. Remember that?" _

_Pippa nodded and looked a little less afraid._

_An idea came to Jacquelyn when she spotted her staff. It was a large and crooked stick she'd found earlier in the spring. She'd kept it because it was useful in her games with her sister and the other village children. _

"_Pippa, we're going to play a game. We're going to play hopscotch, like we do everyday. See? One…" She did a small leap on one foot, despite the ice cracking underneath her. "Two…" She took another leap as she grabbed her staff. She did a funny pose, which made her sister laugh and be less afraid. "Three!" She thrust out the staff and as soon as Pippa grabbed it, she flung her over to the safer side of the pond._

_No sooner had she gotten her sister to safety, Jacquelyn sank into the water. The last thing she saw before drowning was Pippa's face. Surprisingly, she felt no fear. She felt only peace at knowing she'd saved her little sister's life._

_The moon glowed brightly through the frozen ice and suddenly, Jacquelyn found herself changing. Her brown hair turned white tinged with frosted blue and her brown eyes turned to frosted blue. She was now the Bringer of Winter and though she didn't know it, she had a great destiny ahead of her. _

The memory then ended and Jacquelyn found herself back with Baby Tooth and Nightstar.

"Did you see that?" she asked, excitedly.

Baby Tooth and Nightstar shook their heads. They hadn't seen it.

"That was me!" she cried, happily as she wrapped an arm around Nightstar and scooped up Baby Tooth with her free hand. "I had a family! I had a sister! I saved her!"

"Mom, that's great," said Nightstar, thrilled for her.

"You realize what this means?" said Jacquelyn. They all looked up to sky where the Moon was glowing brightly. Now Jacquelyn understood why the Moon had chosen her that night. Because she'd loved her sister so much that she'd given her life for her, the Moon knew she'd become a good Guardian and an equally good mother. "That's why you chose me that night, MiM."

"And it's the same reason he led Sandy to you and chose me alongside you to be a Guardian," said Nightstar. "Because we _are _Guardians."

"And there's more," said Jacquelyn. "Nightstar, Jamie and Sophie are your cousins."

Nightstar was shocked. "_What?! _How?"

Jacquelyn quickly explained about her past and revealed that Jacquelyn's sister had lived a full life when she'd grown up and that included falling in love and marrying a good man. More specifically, Pippa had married a man by the surname of Bennett and their family line still existed today. Jamie and his sister Sophie were Jacquelyn's great-great-great-something niece and nephew and therefore, Nightstar's cousins. That was why Jacquelyn and Nightstar had felt compelled to watch over Jamie's family all those centuries.

Baby Tooth squeaked in happiness for them as she climbed up their clothes, nuzzled their faces and smiled happily at them while offering wishes of congratulations.

"We have to get out of here," said Jacquelyn. She was a little shaky, but she was standing and she grabbed her broken staff as Nightstar grabbed his broken medallion.

They kept trying to mend them and failed several times before throwing off sparks that turned into bright light. As Jacquelyn's staff mended, her wounds healed and she was restored to her full strength. The same happened for Nightstar and he felt stronger than ever. But there was a change on his medallion now. Now there were tiny flecks of gold on it and the chain was gold as well, signifying Sandy's role in his life.

They then flew out of the icy canyon and to Pitch's lair, where they found his Globe. The lights were going faster than ever. With moments, where there were at least six children who still believed, there was only one.

Jacquelyn's face lit up when she recognized the light. "Jamie," she said.


	6. Jamie Believes

**Jamie Believes**

At Jamie Bennett's house, they found the little boy sitting alone in his room, on his bed in his pajamas. He looked sad, which came as no surprise considering the Easter disaster of that day. He was speaking to his little stuffed bunny rabbit.

"Okay, look. You and I are obviously at what they call a crossroad," said Jamie, to the bunny. "So, here's what's going to happen. If it wasn't a dream, if you are real, then you have to prove it. Like right now." But nothing happened and Jamie's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I've believed in you for a long time, like my whole life, okay? So, you kind of owe me now."

Jacquelyn and Nightstar's hearts broke at this. There was nothing worse than seeing a sad child.

Jamie picked up his stuffed bunny. "You don't have to do much. Just a little sign so I know. It can be anything, anything at all."

Jamie looked hopeful, but when nothing happened yet again, he looked crestfallen and let the stuffed bunny fall back onto the bed. "I knew it," he whispered.

Jacquelyn and Nightstar then entered the room through the window and began to work to make Jamie believe again.

Jacquelyn covered two glass window panes with frost and drew an Easter egg in one of them and a small bunny in another. It brought a smile and hope to Jamie's face, as he whispered, "He's real." His smile grew broader when Jacquelyn made the bunny take form and hop across the room. Jamie laughed in delight as he chased the bunny.

Nightstar then took a tiny cluster of stars and formed them into the shape of Easter eggs. Jacquelyn's bunny creation then took the eggs and placed them into Jamie's hands before it all disappeared in a puff of stardust and snowflakes.

"Whoa. Snow and stars?" said Jamie, in awe. Then his expression changed when a star and snowflake touched his nose. "Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost?"

"What did he just say?" asked Nightstar.

"Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost?" repeated Jamie, in disbelief.

"He did it again," said Jacquelyn, stunned. "He said…he actually _said_..."

Jamie then turned around and he stared at them with complete and utter shock. "Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost!"

"That's right!" cheered Nightstar. "Those are our names! I'm Nightstar Frost and this is my mother, Jacquelyn Frost! You actually said our names! I can't believe this."

It was then that they realized the boy was staring directly at them with his eyes wide.

"Wait. Jamie, can you hear us?" asked Jacquelyn, in disbelief.

Jamie just nodded.

"C-can you…can you _see_ us?" asked Jacquelyn, hesitantly.

Jamie nodded again.

Happy tears came to Jacquelyn and Nightstar's eyes. "He sees us! He sees us!" they cried in unison as they laughed and did happy flips in the bedroom. Finally, after so many years of being completely unseen and unheard by mortals, a kid believed in them. Even better, it was their favorite kid and a member of their family who was the first to believe in them!

Jamie looked excited beyond measure as he did a few jumps on his bed. "You just made it snow and stars glow!"

"We know!" sang Nightstar, as he high-fived his mother.

"In my _room!_" gushed Jamie, grinning.

"We know!" said Jacquelyn, smiling.

"You're both real?" said Jamie.

"Yeah! Who do you think brings you all of the blizzards and the snow days and all the pranks and the meteor showers?" said Jacquelyn, excitedly. "And do you remember when you went flying on the sled the other day?"

"Or on your birthday when you discovered that new comet?" said Nightstar, excitedly. He'd done that just for Jamie as he'd wanted to do something special for his little cousin.

"That was you guys?" said Jamie, excitedly.

"That was us!" said Jacquelyn, happily.

"Cool!" gushed Jamie. "But what about the Easter Bunny? And the Tooth Fairy? And the—"

"Real, real, real!" interrupted Nightstar, happily. "Every one of us is real!"

"I knew it!" said Jamie. He looked as happy as any kid could be.

Baby Tooth then came out of Jacquelyn's hood and squeaked in delight. She had Jacquelyn pass her to Jamie, where she then nuzzled Jamie's nose and hugged his face.

"Hey, cut it out. That tickles!" said Jamie, giggling. "Who's this?"

"This is Baby Tooth, one of the Tooth Fairy's helpers," explained Jacquelyn, as the fairy was placed back into her pocket. "She's very pleased to meet you."

Jamie smiled.

Suddenly, their moment of joy was interrupted when a gush of wind made the window open and there was a loud crash and someone yelling in Russian.

"Uh-oh, unless I'm mistaken, North's sleigh just crashed," said Nightstar.

"North?" asked Jamie, looking puzzled.

"Santa Claus," explained Jacquelyn. "We'll be right back."

They flew out of Jamie's bedroom window and landed in the street just as North and Tooth shakily rose out of the sleigh. The reindeer had gone off, leaving the two Guardians alone. With only one child still believing, they were in poor shape. The once-vibrant colors of Tooth's feathers had faded, she looked pale and she could no longer fly. North's coat had lost its shine, he was using his swords for walking sticks, he was out of breath and he actually looked his age.

"Jacquelyn, Nightstar!" cried Tooth, happily when she saw them. She tried to fly to them, only fall on her knees. "You're both safe! I can't believe it. We've been looking for you everywhere! We were so worried about you. Thank heavens you're okay."

"We're fine. You were looking for us?" said Jacquelyn, somewhat surprised.

"Of course we were. You're part of our family," said North, as though it were obvious. "But what are you doing here?"

"Same as you," said Nightstar, as he helped Tooth to stand.

Just then, Jamie came bursting out of his house looking excited and beyond happy. He ran over to North and took the giant Russian's hand in his. "It's you!" he exclaimed. "I mean, it's _you._ I _knew _it wasn't a dream!" He smiled at Jacquelyn and Nightstar. "You were right!"

"Jackie, Star, he sees you," said North, in awe.

"Yeah, he does," said Nightstar, proudly. "And guess what else? Mom knows who she used to be before now and her sister has living descendants here in Burgess."

"That's great!" said Tooth, looking overjoyed, as she hugged him. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Tooth," said Nightstar.

"Not to spoil the mood or anything, but where's Bunny?" asked Jacquelyn, noticing the rabbit's absence.

North sighed and looked very solemn. "Losing Easter took its toll on all of us, Bunny most of all."

A feeling of dread settled on Nightstar and Jacquelyn, until a normal-sized grey bunny with darker grey markings, a white tummy, a fluffy white tail, and big yellow eyes emerged from the sleigh looking shy and timid.

_Oh, dear, this isn't good. _

While, Jacquelyn found Bunnymund's new state adorable and had just enough restraint to say nothing; Nightstar, however, didn't. In fact, Nightstar was doubled over laughing hysterically at Bunnymund's fate as he found it amusing.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Nightshade," grumbled Bunnymund. He still had his deep voice, which was something at least.

Jamie giggled as he walked over to Bunnymund. "_That's _the Easter Bunny?"

Bunnymund sighed in exasperation as he scowled. "Of course, _now _somebody sees me! Where were you about an hour ago, mate?"

"What happened to him? He used to be huge and cool, and now he's cute," said Jamie, as he rubbed the rabbit's chin, making him thump his left foot in delight.

Bunnymund quickly regained his composure and usual scowl. "You two told him to say that, didn't you? That's it!" He quickly hopped down from North's sleigh and put up his front paws and bounced around like a little boxer. "You two pests and I are going to settle this, right now! Come on!"

"No, actually, they told me you were real, just when I was starting to think that you weren't," said Jamie, softly.

Bunnymund looked shocked and ashamed. "They made you believe? In _me_?" he murmured. When Jamie smiled and nodded, Bunnymund looked as though he was about to cry and he gave Jacquelyn and Nightstar a very grateful look.

"Yeah, well, we figured it was the least we could do after ruining your holiday—twice," said Jacquelyn, as she shuffled her feet. "Sorry, Bunny."

"Oh, mate, I…" he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Oh, come here, you overgrown tribble," said Jacquelyn, smiling. She held out her hands and he leapt into her arms. She cuddled him close while Nightstar scratched him behind the ears. "I think the three of us got off on the wrong foot. Do you think we can start over and be friends?"

Bunnymund nodded. "Friends," he said.

"When this over, I'll get you an entire bushel of carrots," promised Nightstar.

"I'll hold you to that," said Bunnymund, happily.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled loudly and lightning lit up the sky. High above them in the sky riding a cloud of Nightmare Sand was Pitch. He was stronger than ever and ready to wreck the final part of his plan for vengeance and conquest.

"Get Jamie out of here," ordered Jacquelyn, as she passed Baby Tooth and Bunny to the safety of North's arms. "Nightstar, you're with me."

"Be careful you two," said Tooth.

Jacquelyn and Nightstar nodded and then flew into the sky to fight with Pitch.

Naturally, when Pitch spotted his son and former lover flying straight towards him, he was shocked and at loss to explain how they were doing this after what he'd done to them in Antarctica. But nevertheless, he sighed and immediately swooped down to meet them in battle. They ended up colliding and for a few moments, there were flashes of frost and Nightmare Sand battling one another before Pitch knocked them both out of the sky.

They landed painfully on the ground of an alley that Jamie and the others had fled to.

"Jacquelyn, Nightstar!" cried Jamie, as he helped them to stand.

"That was a good try, you two. _A _for effort!" said North.

Jacquelyn clutched her sore ribs as she slowly stood up. "He's stronger than ever." Pitch hadn't been this strong since the Dark Ages and to have him so powerful now scared her. "We can't beat him."

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed again as Pitch cackled evilly from wherever he was lurking in the shadows. "All this fuss over one little boy and still he refuses to stop believing. Very well," he said, as he made the lights around them go out. "There are other ways to snuff out a light."

Bunnymund bravely hopped forward. "If you want him, you're going to have to go through me."

Pitch just sneered as an enormous shadow of his hand appeared on the ground and stroked Bunnymund's furry head. "Look how fluffy you are! Would you like a scratch behind the ears?"

"Don't even think about it!" said Bunnymund, sounding braver than he felt as he ran back into North's arms.

Pitch then appeared riding Onyx and was accompanied by more of his Nightmares. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you all like this. You look awful."

Jamie, who'd been hiding behind Jacquelyn and Nightstar, tugged on their sleeves and looked at them with such fear. "Jacquelyn, Nightstar, I'm scared," he whimpered.

Jacquelyn knelt down to Jamie's level as Nightstar held his hand. She remembered what happened the last time she'd heard someone who trusted her say those words and now she realized what needed to be done and what hers and Nightstar's centers were. Fun and guidance. From the look Nightstar gave her, she knew he did too.

"Don't be scared," she said. "Everything's going to be all right. We're going to have a little fun instead."

Jamie looked confused, but said nothing as Pitch continued walking towards them.

"So, what do you think Jamie?" asked Pitch. "Do you still believe in the Boogeyma—"

_Pow! _A snowball courtesy of Jacquelyn hit Pitch right in the face, causing the Nightmares to look startled and everyone else to laugh. The laughter increased when Nightstar tossed another one into Pitch's face.

"Fifty years we were together and not once did I ever know you to have a snow day and fun," said Jacquelyn. "What on earth did I ever see in you?"

"Cut him some slack, Mom. He just needs a little guidance lesson into _how _to have fun," said Nightstar. He'd already picked up several boards and trash can lids as per their plan. "Let's show him. Want to get your friends, in the fun Jamie?"

Jamie's face lit up as he nodded.

Quickly, before Pitch could recover from the two snowballs, Jacquelyn and Nightstar led Jamie and the Guardians down an exciting sled ride, much like the one they'd done with Jamie, only far more exciting with more twists and turns. Nightstar was lighting the path with an enormous cluster of glowing stars while Jacquelyn created the ice everyone was sledding on.

Within moments, everyone was laughing and cheering in fun as they slid on the ice through Burgess. Even Bunnymund was having fun and waving his little paws in the air. They zipped through at amazing speeds and even went through a loop-de-loop of ice and made a fantastic jump.

Cupcake's house was the first one they reached. Jacquelyn tossed a snowball at Cupcake's window and when the girl opened her window, a snowball laced with Jacquelyn's magic hit her face and within moments, she was out with Jamie, fully believing in Jacquelyn, Nightstar and the Guardians.

Mary's house was next. She woke up from her sleep when she received a bunch of snowflakes in her room and much to her amazement, Jamie was floating outside her bedroom window waving at her. Immediately, she ran over to the window and opened it.

"Jamie, how're you doing that?" asked Mary.

"Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost!" said Jamie, happily. "Come on. We need your help!"

Jamie then flew off and seconds later, Mary gasped when she believed and she saw Nightstar and Jacquelyn holding Jamie as they flew though the town.

The same thing happened with all of Jamie's friends—Claude, Caleb, Monty and so many others. Some even found presents in their bedrooms and saw North, Bunnymund and Tooth zipping by on their sleds outside.

"Merry Christmas!" said North.

"Happy Easter!" said Bunnymund.

"Don't forget to floss!" said Tooth.

And it wasn't long before everyone single one of those kids was there sledding and having fun with Jacquelyn while following Nightstar's guiding light.

However, they soon stopped downtown when Pitch appeared again. This time with an army of Nightmares and Nightmare Sand that came at them from all sides was as big as a large tsunami. Like always, he was at the lead and sneering down at them.

"You think a few children can help you against _this_?" he said, beckoning to his powerful sand that thundered and light up like lightning.

"Yeah, we do," said Jacquelyn, as she stepped forward. "And you want to know why? Because they're just bad dreams!" She turned to the kids. "Did you hear me, kids? I know how frightening Pitch can be, but if you're not afraid, then he's weak. He's nothing."

"But even if you are afraid, it'll be okay because we'll protect you," assured Nightstar. "Just like the North Star, we'll always be there when you need us."

"Yeah, what he said," said Bunnymund.

Pitch shook his head. "Oh, you'll protect them? But who'll protect you?"

There was a moment's silence before Jamie joined Jacquelyn and Nightstar at the front, looking unafraid. "I will," he said, as he took their hands.

Cupcake then joined him, looking fierce and ready for a fight. "So will I."

The other kids followed suit and they all joined hands as they stood their ground.

Pitch cackled. "Still think there's no such thing as the Boogeyman?" he said.

The Nightmare Sand and Nightmare charged towards them despite Nightstar's efforts to keep it back from them.

"I _do _believe in you," said Jamie, stubbornly. "I'm just not afraid of you."

Much to everyone's shock and immense joy, right as the Nightmares and Nightmare Sand barreled into them, the black sand turned into golden Dreamsand.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Jamie.

Everyone cheered in delight while Pitch's face was a mixture of shock and disgust.

Tooth's feathers were restored to their vibrant colors and she was flying alongside Baby Tooth again. North's coat was restored to his former glory and he regained his youthful energy. He let out a cry of delight while Pitch looked scared.

"Get them!" yelled Pitch.

Nightmares then charged them, but this time, everyone was ready. North dropped two snow globes and out of the portals came an army of _really _ticked off yetis and angry elves riding flying toys. The Nightmares made the mistake of chasing Bunnymund under a car, only to pull him out his usual six-foot armed self and he dusted them with his boomerangs. Bunnymund then brought Egg Golems into the town with his tunnels and they charged at the Nightmares. Tooth sliced through dozens of Nightmares while Nightstar got rid of them by teleporting them into the center of the Earth or commanding them to destroy one another.

Jacquelyn charged at Pitch with powerful blasts of ice and snow and hail before they chased one another through the town. Before long, the kids and Guardians came to help her, destroying all the Nightmares, including Onyx. Jacquelyn then dueled Pitch using her staff as he fought her with a scythe made of Nightmare Sand until he was cornered by herself, Nightstar and the Guardians.

"It's over, Pitch," said Jacquelyn, glaring at him. "There's no place to hide."

Pitch just laughed again before slipping into the shadows.

"Oh, no you don't," said Nightstar. He grabbed Pitch's shadow and flung him over the building, causing him into land into a large rock and break his nose.

"Ow," moaned Pitch, as he clutched his nose. "You broke my nose! My own son broke my nose!"

"Oh, stop whining you big sissy," said Jacquelyn, rolling her eyes.

Pitch glared at her and was about to attack with his scythe again, but then suddenly his wrist was grabbed by a whip made of Dreamsand and he was painfully yanked into the large, swirling glowing body of Dreamsand.

Pitch's yellow eyes were wide with fear as the Dreamsand ceased swirling to reveal Sandy, alive and well and ready for a fight.

Everyone was immensely happy, especially Jacquelyn and Nightstar, who were shedding tears of immense joy.

"Dad!" cried Nightstar, happily. "You're back. You're really back!"

Sandy shot Nightstar a smile before turning back to Pitch. He drew the Nightmare King in closer before wagging a finger at him like one would a naughty child before punch Pitch in the face so hard that it sent him high into the air. Sandy kept Pitch there just long enough for him to make a hat out of Dreamsand to salute everyone with. He then brought Pitch painfully back down, and the force was enough to render him unconscious for a little while.

Everyone was glad to have Sandy back and he was on the receiving end of many smiles and tight hugs before Jacquelyn flew over to him and knocked him down as she kissed him with an intense passion. Sandy returned the kiss for a few moments before they broke apart.

"I love you so much," she said, when they broke apart. "Do you forgive me for taking so long?"

Sandy happily nodded at her. _**I love you too, and we're together now. That's all that really matters. **_He then turned to Nightstar and asked, _**Do you have something you'd like to tell me, Nightstar?**_

Nightstar nodded. "Sandy, these past few days have made me realize something. All my life, you've been more than just an uncle or a godfather to me. You've been my dad in the ways that matter most. So, I was wondering…would it be okay if I started calling you Dad?"

Sandy's eyes filled with tears as he nodded and wrote out with his Dreamsand, _**There's nothing I want more. I love you son.**_

Nightstar and Sandy then shared a tight embrace. "I love you too, Dad."

When they broke apart, Sandy flew into the sky and worked his magic, sending out enormous quantities of golden Dreamsand all across the entire world. As he did so, all of Pitch's darkness faded. The lights on the Globe became numerous once again. All of Tooth's Mini-Fairies regained their ability to fly and they took the teeth back to Tooth Palace and used the magic to remind kids of their cherished memories. There were no more bad dreams or fear and even more delightful was Sophie seeing the Dreamsand and joining the others in all the fun.

When a Nightmare came at Cupcake, she touched it and it turned into large golden unicorn that nuzzled her and allowed her to ride it for a little while. Other such majestic creatures made of Sandy's golden Dreamsand either walked or soared though the town. There were even golden snowflakes, owls and dolphins added to the mix.

After Nightstar made the area aglow with his stars, Jacquelyn then started a snowball fight, which everyone participated in, even the yetis and Baby Tooth. It was all quite fun and soon everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves.

"Jacquelyn, Nightstar, I take it you found your centers?" said North, beckoning the fun of the snow and the guiding light.

"Yeah," said Nightstar, smiling. "We did."

"It just took a little while," said Jacquelyn.

North smiled back and handed them each their own tiny nesting doll that represented their centers. He was then hit in the back of the head with a snowball and when he turned to see who was the culprit, he saw two kids pointing at the elf in between them.

"He did it!"

Instead of getting angry, North just laughed his cheerful booming laugh before making his own snowballs. "You're all on Naughty List!" he said, jokingly as he playfully tossed snowballs at them. "Bunny, think fast!"

Bunny was knocked off his feet by North's snowball to his face.


	7. Oath of the Guardians

**Oath of the Guardians**

Pitch then woke up and couldn't believe what he was seeing. "No. _No! _You dare have fun in my presence? I am the Nightmare King! The Boogeyman and you will all fear me!" He swooped down on Jamie and his friends, but the children just walked through him as though he wasn't even there.

Pitch then looked scared and ran towards his hole in the ground, but was pursued by the others and ended up falling onto his backside when he slipped on the icy pond.

"Leaving the party so soon?" said North, smirking.

"You didn't even say good-bye," said Tooth. She tossed him a quarter, which he caught.

Pitch sneered. "A quarter?"

Tooth then punched Pitch hard in the jaw, which knocked out one of Pitch's teeth. "And that's for my fairies."

Pitch scowled as he stood up. "You can't get rid of me. Not forever. There will always be fear."

"So what?" scoffed North. "As long as one child believes, we will be here to fight fear."

"Really?" said Pitch, sneering yet again. "Then what are they doing here?" He beckoned to the few remaining Nightmares that appeared before them.

"Yeah, about that. When you woke up, I told them to go after the one with the most fear scent on him and seeing as how they're not coming after me or anyone else, they're here for _you_," said Nightstar, smiling.

Pitch looked petrified. "You can't do that to me. I'm your father! Lynn, what about the love we shared once? Don't you still feel something?"

"You may be my father, but you don't have what it takes to be my dad," said Nightstar, as he took Sandy's hand in his.

"And I'm in love, alright. Just not with you," said Jacquelyn, as she took Sandy's other hand. "Not anymore."

Pitch then screamed in terror as the Nightmares chased him down his hole in the ground under the broken bedframe, which then vanished along with the hole itself. Pitch was gone. For how long no one could say this time, but for the moment it didn't matter. Everyone was saved, dawn was rising and all was well.

As if the Moon was celebrating as well, it shone bright as every for as long as it could before the sun's rays took hold of the day.

"Nightstar!" cried Tooth, in delight as she hugged him tight. She then kissed him for a moment, but then pulled back when she realized what she'd done. "Oh, jeez. I…"

But Nightstar just pulled her back in and kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They stayed like that for a moment before Baby Tooth broke them apart with jealous squeaks.

"Calm down, Baby Tooth," said Jacquelyn, chuckling. "You two have our permission."

Tooth and Nightstar blushed as Sandy beamed at them.

"Jacquelyn, Nightstar, are you ready now?" asked North. "To make it official?"

"Yeah. We are," said Nightstar, nodding.

North looked pleased as a yeti handed him the book from before. North opened it to the page he wanted and then said, "Then it's time you take Oath. Will you, Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost, vow to watch over the children of the world, to guard them with your lives, their hopes, their wishes and their dreams? For they are all that we have, all that we are and all that we will be."

Jacquelyn and Nightstar glanced back at Jamie and the other kids, who nodded happily at them, encouraging them to say yes.

"I do," said Jacquelyn.

"I do," said Nightstar.

"Then congratulations, Jacquelyn and Nightstar Frost," said North, as he closed the book. "For you are now and forever will be, Guardians!"

Everyone cheered and congratulated them at this, especially Sandy and the kids.

In the midst of all the celebrations, North's sleigh then came zooming down looked as beautiful as ever as it landed on the ice. All the kids oohed and ahhed at the sight of it. As North once said, everyone loved the sleigh.

"Much as I hate to do this, it's time to go," said Jacquelyn.

Knowing she was right, Sandy nodded and then made several sparkling Dreamsand fireworks as everyone said their good-byes. With the battle against Pitch over, it was time for everyone to go home and resume their usual work. They'd come back and would see each other again, certainly, but for now it was time to leave.

"You're leaving?" said Jamie, looking dismayed. "But what if Pitch comes back? What if we need you? What if we stop believing again? If I can't see you guys…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," said Jacquelyn, as she and Nightstar knelt down to Jamie's level. "Listen, Jamie, do you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"

"No," said Jamie.

"Do you stop believing in the sun when clouds block it out?" asked Nightstar.

"No," he admitted.

"Then why would you stop believing in us just because you won't see us for a little while?" asked Nightstar. "But if it'll make you feel better, we'll let you in on a little secret. Do you know of one of your ancestors, Pippa Bennett?"

Jamie nodded.

"Before I was the Bringer of Winter, I was mortal and Pippa was my little sister," said Jacquelyn, smiling at the stunned and happy look on Jamie's face. "Which makes you and Sophie my great-something niece and nephew, and Nightstar's cousins. Basically, Jamie, what I'm trying to say is you're family and family looks out for each other. So, don't worry about a thing. We'll alwaysbe there and now, we'll always be _here_." She placed a finger on his heart, causing him to smile.

"That kind of makes you a Guardian too," said Nightstar. "And you know what else? Because you're my little cousin and you were the first one to believe in me and my mom, this is for you, Jamie."

A small, dark blue and white pendant appeared in Nightstar's hand. They'd been saving it for their very first believer for a long time and they couldn't think of anyone better than Jamie.

"If you ever need us for _anything_ or if you just want to see us, blow on it and say our names. We'll be there as soon as possible," said Jacquelyn.

"Wow," said Jamie, as he slipped the pendant on.

Jacquelyn and Nightstar then began to head to North's sled for a ride home when Jamie called out to them. They turned around and were surprised when Jamie ran up to them and hugged them. Deeply touched, they returned the embrace.

"We'll visit as much as we can," said Jacquelyn.

"We promise," said Nightstar.

Jamie smiled and then waved good-bye as the Guardians took their seats in North's sleigh and they journeyed to the North Pole for some well-deserved rest from the battle. The Guardians waved good-bye to their friends and believers with great broad smiles on their faces.

Jacquelyn then made several tiny snowflakes which Nightstar dusted with stardust, making them sparkle like stars before she sent them down to the kids below. Nightstar then snuggled up with Jacquelyn and Sandy in the sleigh and shared happy smiles with them. Finally, they knew who and what they were and they had something no one could ever take away from them—a home, friends and a family—and they would have it forevermore.

_My name is Jacquelyn Frost._

_I used to think my life with my son and Sandy was perfect the way it was before the Moon chose us to join the Big Four and become Guardians. But I was wrong. _

_Life's perfect _now_._

**The End**


End file.
